Did you try to chargebump their number plate? Might be worth it to get their attention.

Also in your second pic looks like someone with a high vis jacket, so maybe the ICE drivers complained to the mall staff? In which case you might want to tell the parking staff what you've seen...

 

Car parking staff didn't want to get involved. They were been verbally abused by the individuals.

 

I didn't ChargeBump or even think of it. I was driving and only managed to grab a couple of shots while parked at junction in stationary traffic.

 

At Bicester Village there are four charging bays and they are about as far away from the shops as you can get but parking is at such a premium some sort of madness takes over and they park anywhere, disabled bays, double yellow lines, on roundabouts in front of peoples driveways, anywhere, a few weeks ago the police put no parking bollards out along the A41 with just enough room between them to park a car, yep they parked there too, counted 24 with PCN's on them as we drove past.

There is usually a member of staff at the entrance to the car park and they do put cones in the bays but that won't stop them, they are so desperate to be relieved of their cash on the so called designer gear.

 

Gotta say that was one very brave - or desperate - Leaf owner.

 

It was awful. Had never been before but wife suggested a run out as children away with Scouts all weekend. The place had a Black Friday, evil and mad feel to it with so much desperation to buy buy buy. Will not go back. EVER.

 

You should see it on Bank Hollidays and the run up to Xmas it's mental.

My friends son works in one of the shops and the stuff they are selling is made specifically to sell in the factory outlet and the quality is pants, tehy are buying it in for £3 and selling for £30+ we laugh at the desperation

 

let iced be iced. Just shows blocking people in will have undesired actions. I think a call to the police would of been made

 

Agree but for some they can't get home without the charge.....

 

This is the risk you take blocking in an ICEer.

If you think they're arrogant and 'couldn't give a ****' to park their car in the wrong space, they'll not give a hoot about smacking you in the face, or worse.

It's the lack of policing that causes this. If the EV spaces were correctly policed you wouldn't have this issue.

Might be worth checking that the ICEer is MOTd and taxed though, and reporting them if they're not.

 

This is the risk you take blocking in an ICEer.

Its not really a risk, if you block somebody in because you are to busy preening your shiny white horse of righteousness. You're just as bad (if not worse, as the ICE'r didn't cause an obstruction) as the person blocking the EV spot, be it ICE or EV not charging.

Whether the signing is clear or not, you have absolutely no right or leg to stand on blocking somebody in, but nor is it an excuse for the behaviour of those blocked in. If you actively look for confrontation it will find you.

 

Its endemic of our sad society now - people are scum

 

None electric car drivers might not realise the implications for blocking the charge bay but the Outlander driver should.

 

The last few times I have called in for a charge there have been an i8, i3 and a Mitsubushi Outlander parked in the charge bays and not charging (no cable attached) so it's obvious that EV drivers are just as bad and a small part of the problem, they should be setting an example.

 

I used to live in Bicester, I don't miss the Bicester village traffic at all.
Mind you now I have Oxford traffic instead...

 

I am confused why any (PH)EV owners would go to the trouble of finding the EV bays and then not plug in? Are they free bays or chargeable?

 

They are Chargemaster/Polar but are free provided you've paid them enough to be able to use their card or (if you want to risk it) app. Sadly I think some drivers consider driving a plug-in as an excuse to be able to use premium parking spaces with no regard for whether they're charging. These spaces may well be at the far end of the car park, but compared with the Park&Ride they're luxury.

With my Volt I always either plug in or park elsewhere. Of course that means I may be getting an insignificant amount of charge while still blocking out Leafs &c. (though blocking out other EVs seems most likely to happen to me at Abingdon Waitrose and my commute is such that a 15 minute charge there really can make all the difference to getting home).

Out of interest what's the signage/road markings like at Bicester. I have no idea, but I've seen people (understandably) get frustrated by ICEing, yet on inspection the signage is minimal, and I can see how an ice driver either wouldn't realise, or didn't think the rule applied to them, or indeed an EV driver (who should know better) not realise they have to be charging

They've always been coned off when I've been there. I've even had the staff move the cones for me. But then there's no way I'd be seen dead at Bicester Village round a busy weekend.

 

Two mid twenties chaps are kicking off about been blocked in by the Leaf. One is trying to pull the cable out while the other is spitting on the Leaf. They are screaming about what they will do to the car. The Leaf is un- locked strangely and they are now trying to push it back with no keys and the plug still in. The guy with the cap on tries to stamp the cable from the connector but fails.

Nasty stuff!

Seriously though it was only matter of time until something like this happened. I in NO WAY condone what those guys were doing, but I also in no way condone blocking in people, putting stickers on their cars or otherwise trying to "enforce the rules" in your own way at all. IF you really have to charge and that results in blocking someone in, as said above, stay with the car and move it when they get back.

Seriously folks, it's a jungle out there and it's not up to us to enforce what's right or wrong, you're risking backlashes like this, possibly worse.

But again, what horrible behaviour by those guys?!

 

I wouldn't block and leave unattended personally, despite the immense frustration. Complaining to the site owners, charging companies, MPs. etc etc leaving a note, attempting a polite point is about as far as I think it makes sense to get

 

Out of interest what's the signage/road markings like at Bicester. I have no idea, but I've seen people (understandably) get frustrated by ICEing, yet on inspection the signage is minimal, and I can see how an ice driver either wouldn't realise, or didn't think the rule applied to them, or indeed an EV driver (who should know better) not realise they have to be charging

 

The spaces are usually coned off and there is a green sign overhead but apart from the charge posts themselves I don't recall the spaces being painted at all but even if they were it wouldn't make any difference, any free space is fair game for the villagers

 

It sounds as if they have more issues than just EV spaces.. normally I'd be complaining to the centre management about lack of signage .. though cones help normally... but here? May just be a case of avoiding and choosing where else to shop instead...

I was actually surprised that I visited gunwharf quays recently. Large car park but very full. queueing for ~15 mins to get in. well signed (indicators giving #spaces in any aisle, led above space etc), but they do cone off the 4 EV spaces and none were blocked. they're helped by being as close to the exit as possible, around a one way, and a slight pain to get back into the rest of the car park once you've gone past. I'll set aside the pain of having to pay ripoffmaster for the privilige.. I intentially charged there to check they were chargeable in prep for talking to the centre management again!

I'll also echo Jack's comment about finding conflict. It's like so many things in life.. sadly you have to comprimise and adjust behaviour to accomodate for others lack of consideration or skill.. a bit like driving on the roads really. It doesn't mean ignoring the problem, but sometimes taking a step back as to what approaches might make sense

 

I'm not sure I would bank on using a charger at supermarket or a designer outlet. For the exact reason in the first post. The electric highway is the only option for me.

 

BV has saved my bacon more than once while Oxford and Newport Pagnell have been down in recent months.

Admittedly, it was maple-cured short run dry back bacon from space pigs fed exclusively on mulched up Burberry scarves, but bacon nonetheless.

 

pricks, but then I wouldnt block anyone in either as they will just scratch or dent your car, Bicester village is to be avoided at all costs by anyone reading this, the garden centre is better but that gets busy, the rush and dash at the village is so bad cars are always getting scratched and dented in the car parks there just be people being total bell ends.

Dont go to Bicester village and as others have said dont even think about going there anywhere near xmas time.

 

I'd block them in and hide 4 cars down with my crow bar waiting for them to return . If they were sensible and go off to find centre management or email the disposable email address I've left I'd come and move it. If they damage my car in any way Ill stay hidden till they are out of ear shot and give them a windscreen replacement to think about.

 

No you wouldn't. You wouldn't talk like that if you'd ever been on the receiving end of proper menace. I'll bet you never have.

 

Remind me not to upset you

 

Bicester sounds like it could be needing next branch of StopXam

 

Let us not forget that Bicester is earmarked to be the new Milton Keynes. Apart from the thought of what it will be like to be surrounded by a million other people like these thugs, I wonder if the MK precedent will extend to being knee-deep in rapids?

 

That's correct, it's been designated as an Eco Town which seems to mean building loads of houses with some solar panels on the roof, no garages or parking spaces, on one hand they say they want to make more people use the transport infastructure that doesn't exist and on the other they say they want to encourage more EV ownership takeup.

What's clear is that Bicester Village is going to end up in the middle of a giant housing estate, the way they are going it may even end up as a suburb of MK.

 

About once every 2 years I suggest to my wife we should go back to Bicester to see if it has gotten any better. We haven't done it and it obviously hasn't

 

We used to go years back when it hadn't long opened and it was OK then, decent (ish) shops and always seemed nice and quiet.

Guess times have changed...

/old man comment.

 

As an aside, Bicester seemed to have an incredibly high concentration of short people, or maybe they were just always out and about when I visited?!

 

Bicester Village does attract Chinese and other Asian people by the literal coachload. Last time I was in Chinatown I saw a travel agent's window advertising destinations such as Paris, Milan and ...Bicester. True!