New Canaan’s Parking Commission last week broached the idea of prohibiting the owners of gas-powered cars from parking their vehicles in the two spaces at Morse Court equipped with recharging stations for electric cars.
Commission Chairman Keith S. Richey said during the group’s regular meeting that due to the growing popularity of electric cars, restricting access to those spaces would better serve both residents and visitors who own them.
According to Richey, the town has resisted implementing the rule in the past because there were very few electric cars being driven in the area.
“We have reached the tipping point where there’s enough electric cars that need to be charged when parked in New Canaan,” Richey said during the meeting, held at Town Hall. “So, I think that we should make it electric car-only parking in those two spots.”
Stacy Miltenberg, superintendent of the Parking Bureau, told the commission that she has witnessed electric car owners taking the wire from the recharging station and bringing it across to Cherry Street to charge their cars because the two parking spots at Morse Court were filled. She called this action “dangerous” and felt that implementing the rule could help keep residents safe.
Miltenberg also said that electric car owners should continue to be required to pay the parking fee to charge their cars and the commission members present at meeting agreed.
Commission member Peter Ogilvie questioned whether it was efficient to allow electric car owners to both charge and park in the spots, which could force other owners to go elsewhere to charge, but Miltenberg pointed out that because electric car owners are currently required to pay for the spot whether they charge and leave immediately or remain parked in the spots, they should be allowed to choose how long they park.
“My concern right now is that with people that have the electric cars, they think that they don’t have to pay,” she said.
In response, Richey suggested that future signs specify that the spots are for electric cars only and that patrons are required to pay to use them. He said that he planned to contact Public Works Director Tiger Mann to discuss the next steps.
Richey added that the charging stations were originally implemented in town because officials “foresaw” that electric car ownership would continue to grow.
“That time is now,” he said. “If you’re coming to New Canaan, you should be able to charge your car while having lunch. And even if you’re not [visiting New Canaan] and you’re driving from place to place, you might need to [stop in town and] get a charge.”
We taxpayers don’t build gas stations for people (there are only two in New Canaan). So why should we build electric stations for those who decide to power their vehicles in this way? What did it cost the town to build these? Who is paying for the electricity they are extracting? Do these charging stations have meters that bill at the point of delivery for the power that is taken? If not, why not? And how long are they allowed to park? Same as other drivers? And they think they should not have to pay for parking?? !! Maybe we should pay them for their virtuous behavior. Call it the Tesla reward.
I agree that electric car ownership will eventually increase significantly if their range improves. At which point charging stations are less relevant. Maybe paid recharging is a profitable new service for conventional sellers of vehicular power. One might think that capitalism has a role to play. Let’s not continue to subsidize those who can afford to help themselves. New leaders are talking about fiscal responsibility and this would be a good place to consider that.
I believe the point of the charging stations has been missed. CL&P paid for the charging stations, CL&P is providing the (free) electricity to these two stations. New Canaan only paid (5K) for the installation of the stations. They were installed as part of CL&P’s two year Electric Vehicle Research Project, giving the power company a way to gauge usage of public charging stations. EV users in New Canaan do have to pay for their parking in Morse Court, the few who misinterpret the rules.
Furthermore, not all EV owners are Tesla drivers, and the previous comments on this matter is ludicrous. There’s Chevrolet, Nissan, BMW, Ford and Toyota as well. M.G. You clearly have missed the point!
Another no brainer.
Yes, all free, all the time. How do you gauge the use of something that is “free” vs. usage if the cost was assessed at the point of use? The town “only paid $5k” and CL&P is a charitable organization. Lots of Chevys in town. They are called Suburbans. Open the packet, pour the powder in the water, stir, drink.
Good move! I drive a plug-in hybrid (Ford, not Tesla!) and get frustrated when a non-electric vehicle is occupying one of the spaces.
That said, it never occurred to me that I wouldn’t have to pay to park there. I have no problem if the spaces generate revenue – either from combustion vehicles that can’t use the space or from electric vehicle drivers who think they are entitled to even more than free electricity (provided by CL&P, not the town)
Let us start raining in those residents who illegally register their cars out of state to avoid paying the Town property tax on their vehicles. That is the bigger issue. We are subsidizing these tax cheats.
Why is this even up for discussion!??? If you don’t have a electric car, you should not be parking in the spot. Other towns just ticket and/or tow ….
While on the topic of parking at Morse Court why does the town allow commercial dumpsters to “park” in space 89, taking up a prime spot? Has this been approved by the town or are the dumpsters “illegally parked” ? Do the owners have to pay .25 cents for each 15 minutes? Once allowed how do you prevent other commercial enterprises from wanting the same privilege ?
Roy, I thought all those people from Vermont were visiting their relatives here! I agree with you but the problem with high taxes is that people look for ways to avoid them. Oh well, our new Bridgeport casino will solve all our problems. It’s a sure thing.
Do not forget the Florida and Montana vehicles driven into town for lunch on a daily basis. Long drive for good food. Just sayin. Love the high end vehicle with Florida plates with a Locust Lot Permit parked every day all year round.
I have to add a few corrections. There is only one charging station in the Morse Court Parking Lot and the related parking spot is already marked for Electric Vehicles Only. We asked for a new sign to say something to the effect: “Regular Meter Rates Apply” to clarify that people using the spot are expected to pay the same parking rates as everyone else. Also, once we learned that there was only one charging station, we asked for the town engineer to look into installing a second charging station in the adjacent parking space which would have similar rules and signage.
The average annual income of an electric vehicle owner is $175,000 ($270,000 for Tesla owners). So what we already have is hardworking taxpayers subsidizing these cars for the elites (in the form of a $7,500 tax credits). I do think the technology of the cars is very cool. I don’t think the government should be involved in any way. Should they get their own parking space in Morse Court, a spot which belonged to the “average taxpayer” before? I think there is room for discussion–I don’t think it’s an open-and-shut case.
The average New Canaan income is higher than this, so your point seems irrelevant.