Our posh area is turning into a ghost town thanks to electric cars – they’re ruining our lives and we want them gone
LOCALS in a posh town say their area is turning into a ghost town because of electric cars – and are desperate to get rid of them.
Residents in Knaresborough, North Yorkshire, claim it is becoming increasingly difficult to find car parking spaces for non-electric vehicles.
It comes after ten parking bays were installed for exclusive use by electric vehicles in the Chapel Street Car Park at the end of last year.
But locals say the bays are almost always empty, while they are scrounging around for an alternative area to park near the town centre.
Traders are complaining of losing business as a result, with many customers deciding to visit alternative areas due to the parking woes.
One resident described how everyone in the town is “absolutely fuming”, adding that the town is now “suffering” because of the eco-scheme.
Emma Brierley, who owns local butchers Huttons, said: “They [the council] 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.”
Hairdresser Kelly Tiggin added: “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.”
A council statement said 100 charging bays were being installed across the Harrogate district to help achieve its net-zero carbon economy by 2038.
It added: “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.”