14 August
Have you come across any mixed use bays in our network?
Some of you have questioned why there are ‘mixed use’ parking bays at some of our charge point locations. These are parking bays adjacent to charge points but not specifically reserved for car charging. We know it can be frustrating to see ICE (Internal Combustion Engine) vehicles parked near charge points, so here is an explanation of why we implemented this.
Planning for the future
Currently there just isn’t the demand for the number of charge points we’re building. Our approach is to complete the expensive charge point installation works now – when we have funding to do so – but only reserve the number of bays based on current usage. In the future, when demand increases we can convert more bays to designated charging bays and the charge points will already be in place.
Parking concerns
For locations outside Nottingham City, we asked local authorities to provide us with a list of sites that may be suitable for the installation of charge points. There has been concern from councils and private owners around a perceived loss of revenue from the parking spaces if conventional vehicles can’t use the EV bays given the relatively low numbers of EVs on the road at the moment. We know this will change in time and we are currently gathering evidence as to the usage of the charge point bays, to help alleviate some of the concerns of car park owners.
So we try to encourage our partner councils and other private companies to join the project by suggesting the use of mixed use bays in busy and small car parks until the demand from EV drivers picks up to ensure minimal loss of income/spaces whilst future proofing car parks. This has allowed the installation of charge points in many of our sites including some of the busiest Park & Rides: Wilkinson Street, The Forest and Phoenix Park.
How you can help
Don’t be a bay blocker! Even when there are mixed used bays, the bays next to charge points are intended for charging not designated for electric car parking! So if you don’t need to charge, be courteous and park somewhere else if possible.
But, there isn’t a perfect solution and we do understand that as some car parks might not have a lot of traffic, others can be quite busy. So if you find yourself unable to charge due to the car park being at full capacity or because an ICE vehicle or another unplugged-in ULEV is blocking the bay, let us know as the more evidence we can gather on usage the better.
All that we need is the location where the event happened with some pictures or videos for evidence.
