Our posh town is being ruined by electric car parks – we’ve got nowhere to leave our motors and we’re losing thousands
RESIDENTS in a posh town say they have got nowhere to leave their motors and are losing thousands due to electric car parks.
Ten electric vehicle charging bays were installed in Chapel Street Car Park, Knaresborough, North Yorkshire, at the end of last year.
Hairdresser Kelly Teggin claims most are frequently empty and it is difficult to get non-electric vehicle parking spaces, particularly at weekends and on Wednesday market day.
Traders have also said that they are losing business due to customers giving up and going elsewhere.
Kelly told The Stray Ferret: “These bays are still not being used. They are still empty and the town is suffering.
“Everyone is absolutely fuming. Businesses have had enough and are talking about legal action. Something needs to be done now, not in six months time.
“The whole idea of this is to stop pollution yet people are driving round and round Knaresborough to park and then leaving. It’s insane.”
She started a petition at the start of July calling for some town centre electric vehicle charging stations to be made available to all cars.
Emma Brierley, owner of butchers Huttons, added: “They have taken too many spaces too quickly. There’s not the need at the moment for that many.
“We already lose parking spaces on market day because of the market so with this on top we are 30 or 40 spaces down.
“We don’t have any multi-storey car parks like Harrogate or a big supermarket car park like Ripon.”
A council spokesperson previously said: “To help achieve our net zero-carbon economy by 2038, and to support the demand and rapid uptake of electric vehicles following the end of the sale of new petrol and diesel cars by 2030, we are installing almost 100 charging bays across the Harrogate district.
“In response to our ultra-low emission vehicle strategy consultation, we received significant support for the creation of a public charging network. And thanks to a grant from the Office for Zero Emission Vehicles we have been able to help meet this demand.
“More than 20 chargers will be installed in Knaresborough, including Chapel Street car park which is already being used by both residents and visitors alike.
“These bays, which are for EV charging only, account for less than three per cent of the more than 800 spaces available in Knaresborough, so we are confident that non-EV drivers will still be able to find a space in one of the six car parks in the market town, including York Place which is a five-minute walk from the town square. There is also plenty of on-street disc parking across the town.
“Any EVs who use a charging bay at Chapel Street car park, or any of the charging bays across the district, will still need to adhere to the maximum stay period (four hours) and pay for the amount of time they park for (pay and display), as well as the cost of charging their vehicle. There are no parking fees for charging bays between the hours of 6pm and 8am to help residents charge their vehicles overnight.”
North Yorkshire Council has been approached for comment.