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Mendalla

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A private member's bill co-sponsored by Ontario Green leader Mike Schreiner (the MPP for Guelph) and a PC MPP passed today. It amends the Highway Traffic Act to make it an offence to obstruct access to a public charging station by parking a non-plugin vehicle there or leaving a plugin vehicle there when it isn't actually charging. $125 fine.

Have you heard is similar laws at any level of government? Are laws like this a good idea? Do we need more of them?
 
I am personally good with this. Given the constant problems with non-disabled people trying to use disabled spots, I imagine this is, or is going to be, an issue, too. Though charging spots tend to further away from the entrances of facilities so maybe there is less incentive to "steal" them except during busy seasons like Christmas shopping.

I am contemplating going electric and know that if I do, finding a huge, pollution-spewing diesel truck or SUV occupying a spot I need to be in to charge would piss me off to no end.
 
I think this law is good and will be needed more as time goes on and electric vehicles evolve and become more dominant and accepted into the future. Best to get everyone used to this now.
 
I disagree with this, as on private property people should be able to choose. For example, at least one mall here does have a charging station. They are not far from the doors. I would rather see a choice - designated charging only (and covered by law) and then those where it's not.
 
I disagree with this, as on private property people should be able to choose. For example, at least one mall here does have a charging station. They are not far from the doors. I would rather see a choice - designated charging only (and covered by law) and then those where it's not.

Not likely to happen in your province anyhow, is it? As I said, all would be well and good until someone needing a charge can't get one because of some inconsiderate twit.
 
I like the first part of the law but not the second part. What happens if you stop for a Level II charge which takes 3 hours (depending on battery level and a few other parameters) and you go to a theatre during that time? Would you receive a ticket because your car stayed plugged 5 or 30 minutes too many?
 
I like the first part of the law but not the second part. What happens if you stop for a Level II charge which takes 3 hours (depending on battery level and a few other parameters) and you go to a theatre during that time? Would you receive a ticket because your car stayed plugged 5 or 30 minutes too many?

I think it is intended more for preventing "you unplug but don't move the car" situations or people with electrics using it as a kind of priority parking by parking but not plugging in. If you are plugged in, I am not sure an enforcement officer could tell if you were actually charging or not.
 
Waiting 3 hours for a charge? Can you imagine the lineups?

Therein lies electric cars big weakness. You can't fill current batteries in a few minutes like you can a gas tank. It's why Toyota and Honda have been focusing a lot of their R&D on fuel cells rather than plugins. Just as carbon-neutral as a plugin (they are still using electric motors) but can be refueled like a gasoline engine, just with hydrogen instead of gasoline.
 
Not likely to happen in your province anyhow, is it? As I said, all would be well and good until someone needing a charge can't get one because of some inconsiderate twit.
Maybe one day, but not for a while.
I just don't see the need for the province to tell a business who can and can't in the charging parking lots that are being provided by a business. If the business only wants those who are charging to be parked, then great. What if a small business decides to let all their parking spots having charging though? This could be penalizing their business by them choosing to offer it.
 
Maybe one day, but not for a while.
I just don't see the need for the province to tell a business who can and can't in the charging parking lots that are being provided by a business. If the business only wants those who are charging to be parked, then great. What if a small business decides to let all their parking spots having charging though? This could be penalizing their business by them choosing to offer it.

Why not? We already do it for handicapped spots. There are regs on how many a business has to have and it's a Highway Traffic Act offence to be in one without the appropriate permit.
 
What if a small business decides to let all their parking spots having charging though?

I actually have yet to see a small business do this. Right now, it's mostly mall parking lots and large private lots. Some institutional lots like banks (the TD near me has solar power and 3 or so charging stations running off of it).
 
I actually have yet to see a small business do this. Right now, it's mostly mall parking lots and large private lots. Some institutional lots like banks (the TD near me has solar power and 3 or so charging stations running off of it).
I haven't seen it yet, I could imagine eco-friendly businesses doing it though. The type where they have a small strip of spots, not a full lot.
I wonder too how this would work with the disabled spots. If they put in charging spots with them to they need to end up offering extra disabled parking without?
 
Why not? We already do it for handicapped spots. There are regs on how many a business has to have and it's a Highway Traffic Act offence to be in one without the appropriate permit.
It's different though. Imagine a place has their parking lot set up so that every spot is set up where it would work for disability parking space-wise. They only choose to have the minimum number required though as designated disability spots. So the majority of the spots work for both. There is no law that just because a space is large enough to be a disability parking spot that it must be labelled as such.

The law though makes it sound like if charging is available, it has to be for charging only. So where a business planned beforehand that anyone could park there - whether they charge or not, they end up losing available parking to those who are not driving an electric vehicle and need a charge at the time.
 
The type where they have a small strip of spots, not a full lot.

Few businesses that size here even own their parking lot. They are mostly renting space in strip malls or other commercial buildings so it would the landlord's decision, not theirs.
 
Few businesses that size here even own their parking lot. They are mostly renting space in strip malls or other commercial buildings so it would the landlord's decision, not theirs.
It may only be a few places, but why not leave them the option instead of the government decide for them?
Ie. have a law related to designated charging parking, but let places decide if their charging parking is going to be designated to that only or not. No sign stating so, anyone can park.
 
Look, right now we have a few stations, usually one or two, in places like malls and hotels and such. It only takes a couple inconsiderate drivers to shut down the entire charging capacity of some of those places. That's a very real problem right now that the legislation is targeting. If I owned an electric car, that's what would concern me.
 
Some groups of folks are opposed to being told anything about what's just if it goes against their powers!

It is something we're sent here to experience ... some have to repeat several lifetimes here to learn due to the stoneset minds --- Parker & Hart!

Go figure how that come to be in the goings on ... resolutions?
 
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