Prepaying motorists not guaranteed a space in Portlaoise car park
The electric car charging parking spaces in the car park at the Railway Station in Portlaoise
LAOIS County Council staff are to keep on eye on the electric car charging parking spaces in the new car park at the Railway Station in Portlaoise to ensure motorists are not parking all day in the spaces.
It has also been revealed that those who prepay for a monthly parking ticket to use the car park are not guaranteed a space when they arrive at morning times.
So popular has the car park become that some motorists are parking in the charging spaces, preventing other from getting a charge, particularly local taxi driver.
The issue came to light at the April meeting of councillors from the Portlaoise Municipal District Council when cllr Catherine Fitzgerald called for greater monitoring of the electric charging spaces in the car park.
Cllr Fitzgerald said: “Local taxi drivers who use the railway station car park on a daily basis to recharge their cars, most often find that cars are parking for hours and sometimes all down in the charging spaces. They can’t use them.
She then asked: “How many hours can you park in those charging spots?”
While not answering that specific question, the council’s director of services Simon Walton replying to cllr Fitzgerald said: “If you’re parked in an Electric Vehicle (EV) parking space, you’re supposed to be charging your car. There are 10 EV charging spaces there. Two are fast charging spaces. The message I’d like to get out is, if you do not have an EV car and you’re parked in one of those two fast charging spaces, there is a very strong possibility you will get a fine. There are eight slow charging spaces, that are less used and all non e-charging spaces are taken up early in the mornings. There might be a little bit of slack of cars parking in the slow charging bays, which they shouldn’t be, but they might get a fine.”
Mr Walton said that every day the demand for the other 85 car parking spaces is far higher than that of the EV charging spaces.
He said: “People who purchase a monthly parking ticket and arrive in the car park early enough in the mornings can’t avail of a car parking space. Buying a monthly ticket doesn’t guarantee you a parking space. You have the option of going in, taking your chances, and paying for a daily ticket.”
Cllr Caroline Dwane Stanley asked could the eight slow charging spaces that are being used less frequently be changed to ordinary parking spaces, “because it’s very disappointing that if you buy your monthly ticket and can’t get to park in the car park.”
Mr Walton said: “You are not entitled, if you don’t have an E car to park in the eight slow charging spaces. But, having said that, we are conscious of the demand for spaces there, and the lack of demand for those eight spaces.”
Asked by cllr Barry Walsh why there is only two fast charging spaces and not ten in the spaces provided, Mr Walton said: “Slow charging is cheaper. It’s an all day parking car park and some people travelling by train to Dublin can leave their cars charging. They pay their €4 to park in the space and then pay their bill for charging their car.”
“So,” said cllr Dwane Stanley, “does that mean if you pay your €4 parking fee, you can head off to Dublin for the day and leave your car in that slow charging bay all day? Does it take all day to charge a car?” Cllr Fitzgerald said: The main issue is that taxi drivers working around the town are unable to use the fast charging spaces, because a lot of the time they are not available.”
