A MAJOR problem has been highlighted with a new plan that would allow Bristol drivers to charge electric vehicles outside their homes.
A trial next year will see gullies dug into the pavement so that cables can run from houses flush with the pavement on to parking spots on the road.
Bristol City Council is hoping the trial will encourage more drivers to switch to electric vehicles, as one obstacle at the moment is the lack of ability to charge cars at homes without driveways. Charging at home tends to be much cheaper than public charging points, and more convenient.
However, even if drivers pay for gullies to be dug, there is no guarantee that the parking spot outside their house will be available.
The plans were approved by councillors on the transport policy committee on July 10, who flagged the potential problem.
Green Councillor Emma Edwards said: “Even in places with a resident parking zone, people don’t have allocated spots. It’s every person for themselves. I’m worried that this is going to be an impossible ask in areas where people really want them.”
The channels would be owned, installed and maintained by the council, and paid for by individual drivers. It’s unclear how much this would cost. A report to the committee admitted that gulley charging could “cause disagreement” with neighbours in areas where “competition for parking is high”.
Shaun Taylor, head of highways, added: “We can’t have trailing cables going 20 yards up roads, for electrical safety as well as trip hazards. They will need to charge just outside their property. The reality of that is for places with highly dense parking, people might not think it’s attractive. The highway is there for everyone’s use and you cannot designate parking outside your house.”
In the next month or two, the council will start accepting expressions of interest from drivers. Disabled drivers will be given priority when applying to the council. A trial will run for at least a year.
By Alex Seabrook, Local Democracy Reporting Service