[Dales]

Great - so the stickers have gone up to say that all of the closest EV bays to my office are now reserved for charging vehicles only. (I wonder if CM gleefully offered to put the stickers up for the council)

From Sara Bailey's letter to Paul, it would appear these reserved bays were selected as being the highest used. So basically, the bays in close proximity to me were selected as special charging only bays because I regularly used to charge there! So the selection policy will now make only the least convenient bays to the regular EV commuters available to them without the charging requirement. Another wonderful irony of MKs pro-EV strategy!

** EDIT to add link to full list **

List of MK parking bays reserved for charging vehicles

 

[flipper]

So that means you can only park there if actually plugged in and charging, yes?

TBH, Chargemaster costs aside, the whole MK parking thing is a total mess. I can't actually remember if I'm allowed to park for free in the EV bays as there's no signage to say I can. Thankfully, I only rarely need to visit the centre so it's not a big deal - the last time I visited I did pay because I wasn't sure and didn't want to risk a fine.

 

[jontracey]

I just stopped coming to MK because of the whole ChargeMaster debacle, I goto Peterborough (which is becoming very EV friendly in its car parks) for shopping when its an absolute must and there are no other options

 

[Dales]

That's right - any bays where you see 'RESERVED' stickers on the posts have the new requirement to be plugged in and charging. The small print on the sticker says something like 'you may be liable for a fine if you are not charging'. The MK parking map hasn't yet been updated to distinguish between the restricted and unrestricted parking so it has been a case of driving round to find an unrestricted bay.

I have no intention of supporting CM by applying for a card, so given the inconvenience of the nearest unrestricted bays, I now need to look either at the green car permit @ £75pa or reapply for my carshare permit which I used to use in my ICE. That gives me access to much more convenient parking spaces. So effectively, there is no value for my personal situation of driving the EV in compared to my previous ICE carshare, My Leaf trial comes to an end in November and I think I'll be handing it back rather than buying it.

 

[Paul]

Did someone post which bays will remain free at all times for EVs? (Was it me?!)

I'm so confused now I'm just back to staying away, like I did before I had an EV.

The map really helps clear things up?!

 

[Paul]

That's right - any bays where you see 'RESERVED' stickers on the posts have the new requirement to be plugged in and charging. The small print on the sticker says something like 'you may be liable for a fine if you are not charging'. The MK parking map hasn't yet been updated to distinguish between the restricted and unrestricted parking so it has been a case of driving round to find an unrestricted bay.

You posted while I was posting. So what are we looking for for free EV parking (with no plug-in premium)? What colour/how big is the "reserved" sticker?

If I do have to go I tend to park in the shopping bit, my wife sometimes parks by the college building though.

Multistory is still free for all (by iceland/The Food Hall).

 

[flipper]

Did someone post which bays will remain free at all times for EVs? (Was it me?!)

I'm so confused now I'm just back to staying away, like I did before I had an EV.

The map really helps clear things up?!

That map is absolutely hilarious! It's barely usable on a big desktop screen; on a phone, well, you can imagine.

 

[fenlander]

So effectively, there is no value for my personal situation of driving the EV in compared to my previous ICE carshare, My Leaf trial comes to an end in November and I think I'll be handing it back rather than buying it.

Surely there must be another benefit to driving an EV other than free parking?

 

[Dales]

Thanks Paul - that map shows the EV bays, but not which have the new charging restrictions placed on them. The council website hasn;t yet been updated to explain the new restriction http://www.milton-keynes.gov.uk/streets-transport-and-parking/parking/electric-vehicle-charge-points
It was only the letter you received from Sara which hinted at the councils intentions which have now come to pass - under the usual cloud of confusion.

 

[Dales]

Hi Fenlander - yes, what I meant; was that for my particular case (daily commuter to MK within round trip single charge range), no part of MKs EV friendly policies are now of benefit to me. Of course the inherent benefits of EV remain. Over the trial, I have benefited from the free charging and parking, and as I use the vehicle almost exclusively for commuting (too many kids to fit in it for weekend use sadly) it has been great. With those advantages now gone, the benefits become much more marginal, and for me will probably not justify the upfront cost of buying the Leaf in Nov.

 

[Parax]

That map is absolutely hilarious! It's barely usable on a big desktop screen; on a phone, well, you can imagine.

The screenshot is limied size the zoomable large version is here http://www.mkweb.co.uk/.documentlibrary?get=16522




Has anyone tried just plugging in and not actually paying to charge? - I'm assuming the wardens wont know how to check....

 

[flipper]

The screenshot is limied size the zoomable large version is here http://www.mkweb.co.uk/.documentlibrary?get=16522

Oh, don't get me wrong, I've seen the full sized version. It's still an unmitigated disaster.

 

[Julian Thomas]

I'm appalled that MKC have pressed ahead with the "only if you're charging" policy, despite charging dropping off a cliff since the pricing on 1st April - barely 2 charges per day in MK at the moment, across the 150-170ish EV spaces. So now not only will the charging posts go unused, but also so will all those EV spaces.

I saw the CYC pricing - 15p/kWh - and thought it was brilliant. It's what the vast majority of users on this forum have been clamouring for: priced by actual fuel consumed (like petrol), and priced at a fair rate, significantly below the cost of petrol. I really hope that Chargemaster finally come out from their bunker, engage with us, say "we got it wrong", and move to sensible pricing, in a transparent model like CYC.

 

[fenlander]

Has anyone seen any figures comparing EV take-up in MK compared to other regions of the UK?

Have the free-parking and other benefits actually made a difference in uptake?

 

[Dales]

Has anyone tried just plugging in and not actually paying to charge? - I'm assuming the wardens wont know how to check....

I didn't spot the sticker and parked for the day without getting a ticket. When I returned there was a leaf plugged in next to mine - it was this rare sight prompted me to check the signs again!
It is very easy to see if a vehicle is charging from the lights on the post. The other leaf wasn't charging. However Sara's letter said that paying for even just an hour charging would permit a day parking - so it would not just be a case of the warden looking at the light - they would have to check the energy supplied.

 

[Dales]

Has anyone seen any figures comparing EV take-up in MK compared to other regions of the UK?

Have the free-parking and other benefits actually made a difference in uptake?

I've not seen figures - but you do see a lot of EVs in MK, and I am sure that it's status as an EV demonstration town has been a strong reason for that. The free charging and parking certainly influenced my decision.

 

[flipper]

It is very easy to see if a vehicle is charging from the lights on the post. The other leaf wasn't charging. However Sara's letter said that paying for even just an hour charging would permit a day parking - so it would not just be a case of the warden looking at the light - they would have to check the energy supplied.

Now *that's* interesting! Even at Chargemaster rates, 1 hour of charging to park all day at (presumably) prime spots works out pretty cheap - assuming you need to be parked all day, that is.

 

[jontracey]

I thought CM charged you for the time you were connected not just charging, so you would need to pay their silly prices all the time the cables plugged in

 

[Dales]

I think that is the Council's line of argument - it is still cheap compared to premium parking, and they are right, provided you are happy to fiddle with your charging time settings, and hope chargemaster's billing reflected actual charging time (can anyone confirm?)

However, for me and I'm guessing most of the Leafs I see in MK, we wouldn;t be paying for premium parking, the premium locations for me at least mean a good walk back to my office on the outskirts. In terms of reducing MKs carbon footprint, commuters are the most logical target. OLEVs focus is (semi-understandably) high visibility locations, whether or not convenient for those actually using the infrastructure, and MK council appear to be focusing on the out-of-town occasional EV visitors/shoppers at the expense of the majority who are EV commuters.

 

[Stephanie]

Hmm. OK, this is probably derailing the argument somewhat but... many of the charge points in MK are often 'red lit' - indicating that for whatever reason, they're not working. At that point, is it ok for an EV to park there and not charge or does it revert to a standard parking space that anyone can use and should pay whatever the local going rate might be?