Parking charges while charging.

Celticfire

I'm wondering where each County Council stands on paying for parking while using ESB chargers in their car parks. Some make you pay for your parking and some don't.

Two I know of...

Dublin ... Yes you have to pay while charging.
Westmeath.... No. free parking once charging.

slave1

Where did you pick up that Westmeath has free parking while charging?

Satriale

Limerick say you have to pay for parking, but i'd love to see someone stand before a judge and tell them they weren't parking, they were fueling their car. There's an argument to be made i think.

Celticfire

slave1 wrote: »

Where did you pick up that Westmeath has free parking while charging?

I rang the County council offices and inquired. I also asked one of the traffic wardens just to make sure I had gotten the right answer.

cros13

Celticfire wrote: »

Dublin ... Yes you have to pay while charging.

Not exactly. You have to pay in two of the three dublin co co areas (City and Fingal) but not the third (DLR). Where that gets complicated is figuring out which area you are in. Two charging spaces along the border are half-in half-out of the DLR area.

KCross

Cork has free charging and free parking in 4 multi-story Q-Parks. Thats a private enterprise though and nothing to do with eCars or the Council.

Im not sure about the public on-street chargers in Cork. I think they are free as well but cant say for sure.

Celticfire

KCross wrote: »

Cork has free charging and free parking in 4 multi-story Q-Parks. Thats a private enterprise though and nothing to do with eCars or the Council.

That's good to know. Where did you get this info? I wonder does it apply in Dublin as well seeing as the are the same company?


[edit] I had a quick look and there's no mention of free parking on the website just free electricity. Discounts if you book online.

KCross

Celticfire wrote: »

That's good to know. Where did you get this info? I wonder does it apply in Dublin as well seeing as the are the same company?.

I use them!
Only applies in Cork.

Carlow Town, no parking fees while charging.

slicedpanman

Satriale wrote: »

Limerick say you have to pay for parking, but i'd love to see someone stand before a judge and tell them they weren't parking, they were fueling their car. There's an argument to be made i think.

Where did you see that Limerick city required you pay for parking? I've never paid while charging

discostu1

KCross wrote: »

Cork has free charging and free parking in 4 multi-story Q-Parks. Thats a private enterprise though and nothing to do with eCars or the Council.

Im not sure about the public on-street chargers in Cork. I think they are free as well but cant say for sure.

I'm getting my Leaf during the week if you use the Q Parks I presume you get your normal ticket how do you get out without paying ?

KCross

discostu1 wrote: »

I'm getting my Leaf during the week if you use the Q Parks I presume you get your normal ticket how do you get out without paying ?

It's a little awkward. You have to go to the desk and they issue you with a new ticket to get out.

If there is no attendant you have to press the help button and they remotely activate the barrier to let you out. I haven't failed yet!

Well wear with the new car!

discostu1

Many thanks it will be mainly the wife driving (or so she thinks )

Satriale

slicedpanman wrote: »

Where did you see that Limerick city required you pay for parking? I've never paid while charging

I know someone that phoned to ask.

zilog_jones

KCross wrote: »

It's a little awkward. You have to go to the desk and they issue you with a new ticket to get out.

If there is no attendant you have to press the help button and they remotely activate the barrier to let you out. I haven't failed yet!

They recommend getting the ticket printed when you arrive if you are planning on staying late (after 6pm or whenever the attendants finish up).

I've charged in Limerick without paying a few times and got away with it

slave1

I'd ignore all this phone call referencing, that won't help you if you get a ticket.
I'd want to see it published in writing somewhere...

Here's Westmeath's Parking page and no reference to free electric parking whilst charging....

stesaurus

The association have a list online tracking all of this. https://lookaside.fbsbx.com/file/Parking%20Free%20or%20not%20while%20charging.docx?token=AWyhSOj4MDuAWKcnR1V837vBSNydBmtfdp5_8zVta19Fdxfh38UZo7_LcedGRtFmVtkXTVse4ygtANjMF_ATjc5LE9pCJmM0zMopqrwgZFuZLKnfvzphXQLX7g8TKa0a71i6cjV-naaVMTV_n2wsuDW4

KCross

Free charging and parking in Cork as long as there is an official sign designating it an EV Bay with an "RRM 035" sign AND only while the car is actually charging, so you are not supposed to abandon the car for the day!

See sections 37 and 38 in the 2016 bye-laws: http://www.corkcity.ie/services/roadstransportation/transportationdivision/parking/onstreetparking/parkingbyelaws/Cork%20City%20Council%20Parking%20Byelaws%202016.pdf


And as already stated, the 4 Q-Parks that provide free parking and charging as well... Carrolls Quay, City Hall, Grand Parade and St Finbarrs

Free parking is a really nice perk. They should have that nationwide until EV's are more common.

jprboy

s.welstead wrote: »

The association have a list online tracking all of this. https://lookaside.fbsbx.com/file/Parking%20Free%20or%20not%20while%20charging.docx?token=AWyhSOj4MDuAWKcnR1V837vBSNydBmtfdp5_8zVta19Fdxfh38UZo7_LcedGRtFmVtkXTVse4ygtANjMF_ATjc5LE9pCJmM0zMopqrwgZFuZLKnfvzphXQLX7g8TKa0a71i6cjV-naaVMTV_n2wsuDW4

Thanks but I wonder how up to date that is?

For example, this is an extract from it:

Railway Stations:
HI Paddy,
Our Operations Manager has confirmed that Electric Cars are required to pay for parking when charging the car.

However, my understanding is that there is free parking for EVs while in charging bays at Irish Rail stations. The ecars Charge Point Map for any rail station I've looked at states:

Free parking for up to 24 hours is available at this site when charging an EV

zilog_jones

I think it would be good if the eCars map had more consistent information on the cost of parking for each location, at least for the chargers in public places.

KCross

zilog_jones wrote: »

I think it would be good if the eCars map had more consistent information on the cost of parking for each location, at least for the chargers in public places.

I'd say the reason is they dont want to be blamed for someone getting a ticket because the by laws changed and they werent informed and had out of date data on the website.

Their remit is to provide charging not parking "data".

It would be very useful though if they could get passed that issue somehow. Maybe a link to the appropriate council website or something that you could check.

Satriale

slave1 wrote: »

I'd ignore all this phone call referencing, that won't help you if you get a ticket.
I'd want to see it published in writing somewhere...

Here's Westmeath's Parking page and no reference to free electric parking whilst charging....

They said you have to have a ticket on the phone.

zilog_jones

Satriale wrote: »

They said you have to have a ticket on the phone.

The problem is it's hard to verify or prove what was said during a phone call if some dispute did arise. Unless you recorded it

cros13

I know a few people who were told over the phone that the Luas P+R in sandyford was free while charging. They ended up clamped.

It's a pain when using the rapid as you can't pop across the road to the hotel for 5 minutes to use the toilets without risking a clamp.

stesaurus

At Stillorgan P&R I've often nipped into Aldi or gone for a quick toilet break with the dogs. The parking attendants seem to be on the ball with regards to the FCP as they know people will be there for a max of 30 mins and they leave people to it. The SCPs are different and I've seen EVs clamped regular enough.

KCross

cros13 wrote: »

I know a few people who were told over the phone that the Luas P+R in sandyford was free while charging. They ended up clamped.

It's a pain when using the rapid as you can't pop across the road to the hotel for 5 minutes to use the toilets without risking a clamp.

I emailed Luas last April and was given a quick straight answer...

You will need to pay for parking , charging the car is free.

Satriale

zilog_jones wrote: »

The problem is it's hard to verify or prove what was said during a phone call if some dispute did arise. Unless you recorded it

Nothing to dispute Zilog. They said you had to have a ticket, no ifs and or buts.

I'd still like to see it tested in court. Parking is not charging. If you're finished refuelling then you're parking, then it should be a different offence cause you are preventing other EVs from refuelling.

Charge points are never parking spaces.

KCross

Satriale wrote: »

Nothing to dispute Zilog. They said you had to have a ticket, no ifs and or buts.

I'd still like to see it tested in court. Parking is not charging. If you're finished refuelling then you're parking, then it should be a different offence cause you are preventing other EVs from refuelling.

Charge points are never parking spaces.

Its all down to the bye laws and if the space is officially designated/marked as an EV bay or not. If it doesnt have the correct signs and road markings its just a parking space the same as all the rest, even if it has a charger on it.

zilog_jones

Satriale wrote: »

Nothing to dispute Zilog. They said you had to have a ticket, no ifs and or buts.

I meant in other situations if a dispute did arise and the person over the phone gave contradictory information, then you'd have no record of this conversation and nothing to stand on legally. I think that's the point slave1 was trying to make.

slave1

Yeah, it just isn't clear at present, in Westmeath person A is told verbally you're fine and person B is told you have to pay for parking.
When the ESB start charging it will become stickier, pay for parking and for charging? If parking is then free how will the councils be compensated for lost parking revenue etc.
This will take time and more uptake of EVs to iron out.

For us, we never use paid parking, we park short distance away in Dunnes or Tesco car parks because it's always half hour in this shop then move onto the next etc. but a scenario of having to pay for parking and then pay for charging would be annoying

Celticfire

slave1 wrote: »

I'd ignore all this phone call referencing, that won't help you if you get a ticket.
I'd want to see it published in writing somewhere...

Here's Westmeath's Parking page and no reference to free electric parking whilst charging....

Satriale wrote: »

They said you have to have a ticket on the phone.

I asked a traffic warden and he said that the car is fine as long as charging. Why the info isn't on their website is beyond me. The fact that spaces are marked should indicate that somewhere there would be information for e car spaces just as there is for loading spaces.

discostu1

I parked in the Grand Parade charging spot today and what was in front of my charging only a 151 D Tesla.
More interestingly I was in the Black Ash Park and Ride where there is also a charger.The lad there gave me a form which I must fill in for the Corpo basically you get a card which gives ecar owners a years free parking and bus rides to and from the City centre obviously if the chargers are free you can use them too.Havent had a chance to look at the form but sounds good. The lad also said that during the week there are two ecar drivers who travel in, and plug in all day, get the bus out of town and then drive away, so free parking and free charging if your working in town