http://www.thestar.com/autos/2015/08/23/ev-charging-stations-deserve-more-respect.html
EV charging stations deserve more respect
By: Gary Grant Aug 23 2015
[image / Gary Grant
http://www.thestar.com/content/dam/thestar/autos/2015/08/23/ev-charging-stations-deserve-more-respect/gary-grant.jpg.size.xxlarge.letterbox.jpg
Auto News columnist Gary Grant was appalled to see that the driver of this
car had parked in a spot where an electric charging station was installed.
The rest of the lot was empty
]
Auto News columnist Gary Grant finds himself upset when he discovers that
owners of gas-powered vehicles are parking in places where electric charging
stations have been installed.
Last Sunday morning, following a suitably late sleep-in, I set about my
duties to prepare for the day's BBQ activities. Naturally, a stop at a local
LCBO was in order.
This particular store, on Thickson Road in Whitby, recently installed an
electric vehicle charging station from Sun Country Highway. My visit took
place just after noon and, as one might expect, there were few cars in the
lot.
I was amazed then, to note that a new gasoline-powered car was occupying one
of the two spots dedicated to EVs. I took its picture, intending to shame
the owner on social media — as has become custom these days.
As I paid for my libations, I noticed that an older hatchback had replaced
the other car. In this case, the owner was still there.
I asked the woman who owned the car if she knew that she was parked in a
spot dedicated to electric vehicles. She looked at the sign above her car
and said no. I explained that while most of us can go to a gas station on
the way home if need be, the driver of an electric vehicle cannot and if low
on juice, might not make it.
"Oh, I'll try not to do it again," was the answer.
She made no attempt to move her car elsewhere.
Giving this driver the benefit of the doubt, I will suggest that she was not
inconsiderate. Instead, I will suggest that perhaps she was so busy on a
Sunday afternoon that making an effort to move her vehicle a few metres to
another empty spot was not an option.
I also took a photo of this person's car. I posted a photo of both cars to
Instagram with the caption, "Inconsiderate drivers of Whitby go booze
shopping" or something similar.
Unlike parking places reserved for hybrid cars at home-repair chain stores
and/or for parents with unruly children at shopping malls, charging places
for EVs fulfill a very real and valid purpose.
Before all of you start writing letters to the editor about my insensitivity
toward parents, please note that I have more or less successfully raised
three upstanding citizens without ever using a special parking spot.
All sarcasm aside, this got me thinking about what weight the signs that say
"reserved for electric vehicles" carry. It turns out that there is very
little. In fact, it seems that because the charging stations are so new,
nobody really has a handle on them.
The situation is so serious, however, that drivers of EVs have resorted to
using the term ICE'd — short for internal-combustion engine’d — when they
are blocked out of a charging station, according to John Dixon.
Dixon, who is the founder of the Ontario chapter of the Tesla Motors Club,
pointed me toward dozens of forum threads on the club's website,
www.teslamotorsclub.com , with Tesla owners recounting tales of being ICE'd.
Toronto Police representative Victor Kwong reports that in this city at
least, there are no bylaws supporting the validity of those signs. Electric
Vehicle charging stations, much like dedicated parking spots for parents
with small children, hybrid car spots and those for pregnant women, are
nothing more than a courtesy. The reality is that most of these charging
stations are on private property and policing them is the responsibility of
the property management.
The city itself does not appear to have a grasp on the problem, either.
Operational Planning and Policy Manager Naz Capano says that while there are
no bylaws on the books currently for EV parking stations, laws have been put
into place to protect users of three test charging stations that the city is
about to install as part of a project called "Electric Vehicle On-Street."
When operational, these spots will be behind City Hall on Elizabeth Street,
on Mirvish Way and on Wellington west of Blue Jay Way.
The particular LCBO store where I came across the issue is one of a handful
of "green" test stores, according to LCBO spokesperson Christine Bujold.
"The majority of our 650-plus stores are housed in leased spaces and
therefore are not LCBO-owned property", says Bujold, who adds that "the EV
charging stations you referenced and any enforcement requirements would be
the responsibility of the landlord/property management."
Town of Whitby Parking Services Supervisor Alison Albrecht reinforced this,
saying that, "Private property, such as the spots located outside the LCBO,
are at the property owner’s dis
