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Bad Idea: Electric Car Charging Stations Doubling Up In Handicapped Spaces?

 
1,984 views Jul 14, 2011
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Charging Station Shares Handicapped Parking Space

Charging Station Shares Handicapped Parking Space

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Where is the best place to site an electric car charging station? 

That’s the question that city planners, shopping malls and parking garages all over the world have to answer as they try to support electric car owners keen to patronize local businesses in exchange for the ability to plug in.  

But recently, we’ve seen a number of examples of electric car charging stations sited in the worst possible places we can think of: handicapped parking spaces. 


In other words, making electric car drivers chose between plugging in their car or leaving a much-needed parking space open for a handicapped driver.

Take one parking garage we visited in central London recently.

On arrival at the garage, we spent a few minutes looking for a place to plug in, only to find that the charging stations were installed on a wall behind a row of parking spaces reserved specifically for handicapped motorists. 

We’re all for the installation of charging bays and charging stations so that electric car owners can charge while they’re parked, but taking up a space reserved for someone with limited mobility? That makes us feel a little, well, queasy.

MINI E in Public Parking Lot

MINI E in Public Parking Lot

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Placing electric car charging bays in spaces previously reserved for handicapped drivers isn’t new either. Priority parking bays like handicapped spaces are generally sited in locations with good access to lifts or the exit. 

Because of their location, those spaces are also often the easiest places to site a charging station as they are normally close to power, a place to mount a charging post, and within sight of any security or parking attendants. 

In some circumstances, we’ve even seen a complete role swap take place, with spaces previously reserved for handicapped drivers removed and replaced with charging stations. 

But what’s the solution?  Obviously charging stations are needed in publicly accessible areas, but with careful planning they don’t have to be installed at the cost of handicapped drivers. 

If you’ve seen a dual purpose parking bay, let us know.  We think the practice of doubling up the use of a parking space in this way is wrong, and we’d like to find out just how widespread it really is. 





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Comments (19)

  1. fb_1470388190 avatar David Laur Posted: 7/14/2011 9:18am PDT

    i thought this was a joke. this is not where i want EVs to go
     
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  2. MichaelThwaite avatar Michael Thwaite Posted: 7/14/2011 9:24am PDT

    Oh, not good! EV charging spots should be somewhere between the prime spots outside the front door and the distant spots outside in the rain. We want people to be impressed when they see EV charging spots not aggrieved.!
     
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  3. CDspeed avatar CDspeed . Posted: 7/14/2011 10:11am PDT

    It's not like it would be evil to take a handicapped space. Its not a rare occurrence to pull into a busy parking lot and the only empty spaces are the handicapped spaces. Handicapped spaces really aren't efficient, because they can only be accessed by the few who need them they more often go unused wile the majority has to sometimes search to find spaces and in some cases causing or getting into accidents doing so. I wouldn't have an issue pulling into an unoccupied space but there is no sence in taking handicapped spaces away. I think there should be three types of spaces 1 handicapped closest to the building 2 EV charging spaces either near handicap spaces or in their own area 3 standard spaces.
     
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  4. fb_1470388190 avatar David Laur Posted: 7/14/2011 10:45am PDT

    i dont care if my EV parking space is close or not. i prefer not to be in the back of the lot but can accept that. but around here, handicap parking is nearly always full.
     
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  5. CDspeed avatar CDspeed . Posted: 7/14/2011 3:05pm PDT

    Same here I prefer to park away from main entrances. But some businesses may not want to run their first EV chargers to far from their building, installing electrical lines out to the chargers will add to installation cost, and they could keep a better eye on them from security cameras on the building.
     
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  6. fb_1564735781 avatar Douglas Stansfield Posted: 7/14/2011 10:34am PDT

    EVSEs should not be located in Handicapped spots. It isn't that much more expensive to run conduit over to the next available spot. I really don't understand why common sense is lacking in so many people. How hard can this really be? If you want a professional team to help you put in EV properly contact www.EVEnergyStations.com
     
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  7. fb_100002548320732 avatar Samantha Garter Posted: 7/15/2011 8:21am PDT

    It's not that much more expensive to run conduit over to the next available spot . . . unless you live in an area where thieves will steal whatever isn't chained down with two armed guards standing nearby. In my town, they steal air conditioners from windows to take the copper. Do you think they won't happily rip up that conduit for the copper unless it's somewhere they can't get away with that?
     
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  8. CDspeed avatar CDspeed . Posted: 7/15/2011 4:14pm PDT

    Samantha is absolutely rite. In my neighborhood about two years ago a copper thief decided to run through in the middle of the night after having stolen copper out of air conditioners in another neighborhood. He was using my neighborhood as a cut through, but while driving fast in the dark he hit a curb ran across a lawn and plowed into someone's three car garage. Both garage doors and a center support were destroyed and the thief simply abandoned his car. But he was arrested when he came back and tried to claim his wrecked car later the same day.
     
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  9. EVDave avatar Dave Aasheim Posted: 7/14/2011 11:09am PDT

    For public parking, you need to make the EVSE ADA compliant.
    We currently try to identify a parking space next to the handicap-parking-only spot and place the EVSE on the stripe-- the cord can reach the standard parking space...and if necessary, the handicap spot...and it is ADA compliant.
     
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  10. Tommolog avatar Tom Moloughney Posted: 7/14/2011 11:24am PDT

    As Dave noted I always suspected the ADA would require public charging to be available in handicapped spaces wherever it is available in regular spaces. It would seem to make sense to then have the EVSE's located directly next to handicapped parking. I bet we haven't heard the last of this topic. Wouldn't be surprised if we see property owners ordered to install EVSE's for handicapped only spaces if they plan on installing them for non handicapped spaces. More red tape
     
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  11. JJensen avatar Jim Jensen Posted: 7/14/2011 11:25am PDT

    I generally agree that it would not be desirable to "take over" formerly handicapped spots, unless moving HC spots to nearby locations is the best solution for accommodating both users in a given situation.
    Keep in mind, however, that "dual-use" (HC+PEV) parking spots will likely be necessary in many or most locations to meet the legal requirments for accessibility under the Americans with Disability Act.
     
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  12. Houstondav avatar David Leal Posted: 7/14/2011 1:40pm PDT

    Sorry but I don't have a problem with that. Those spaces are rarely used anyway and when they are there filled with non handicap people that have a handicap tag. I have yet to see someone park there and get out of there car that was handicapped. I would say how did they get that tag. Driving a corvette with a handicap tag, yea right, so where does that chair lift go. It is such a scam. For the amount of handicap spaces available there really aren't that many true handicaps driving around.
     
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  13. Roy_H avatar Roy Harvie Posted: 7/16/2011 4:00pm PDT

    Yes, it is unfortunately abused. My ex-wife has a handicap card and makes a big point of always parking in HC spots. She does have some walking difficulty, but I have seen her walk a mile when she wants to.
     
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  14. Blahblah avatar Ray Blahblah Posted: 9/11/2012 2:48pm PDT

    Disabled doesn't always equate to wheel chairs and churches. I know several people with major back issues who on a good day can muster up enough strength/energy to go marketing. One of these people is my wife. She may apear fit at first glance to the general public but her mobility is due to spinal block shots and pain killers. Even then, she has days where she can't even crawl out of bed. A bad back is only one issue my wife has to deal with in order navigate this world. So I caution people on their assumption of other people with handicap plates/placards being fraudulent.
     
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  15. robicman avatar robicman Posted: 7/14/2011 1:43pm PDT

    I generally park my car away from the crowd. Why not put them with the 'employee parking' in the back of the lot. If you are in that big a hurry to park near the door you probably not going to charge anyway.
     
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  16. fb_1149637348 avatar Steven Vohl Posted: 7/14/2011 4:54pm PDT

    1.) Poor planning. Sure people who park in HP reserved spaces will eventually need EV recharging facilities, but shouldn't HP/EV spaces be provided in the same ratio as HP versus non HP spaces?

    2.) I would think that owners of EV's will be remain parked for quite some time, as such parking where the employees park (for the duration of their shift) shouldn't be an issue.
     
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  17. fb_100002544459353 avatar Ramon Leigh Posted: 7/14/2011 5:18pm PDT

    Handicapped parking spaces I consider largely fraudulent - there are usually way too many and most of those I see getting out of cars in those spaces look
    healthier than I feel. If anyone investigated I suspect that there would be a scandal.
     
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  18. Noel Park avatar Noel Park Posted: 7/15/2011 3:22pm PDT

    Here in CA there is a substantial fine for parking in a handicapped space without a placard. And at long last there is a bit of a crackdown going on re. counterfeit or improperly used placards. Non-handicapped routinely borrow them from qualified relatives or friends. When caught, the placard is confiscated, the user gets a ticket, and no new one will be issued to the owner. About time IMHO. So here doubling up will not work except for the usual total scofflaws.
     
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  19. Blahblah avatar Ray Blahblah Posted: 9/11/2012 3:11pm PDT

    My wife is legitimately disabled and utilizes handicap parking. Just yesterday we pulled up to a restaurant and noticed the handicap stall doubled as an EV charging station. We where puzzled at first as to whether this meant the spot was reserved for handicap persons driving EVs or simply a double useage of the space. Anyhow, I have read a few replies from those who view handicap persons as being fraudulent and so forth. I'm not going to debate such over generalization and ignorance. Instead, I will say doubling a Handicap space as an EV charging station is an issue, not just for handicap persons but for EV owners. Handicap violations or fines can add up for EV owners while people with disabilities face issue with parking.
     
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