I’m fuming after council installed electric charger outside my home – I don’t have an EV & strangers are blocking road
A HOMEOWNER has been left fuming after his local council installed an EV charger outside his home when he doesn't even own one.
Louise Almeida, from Brighton, Sussex, slammed the device as "dangerous" and a ";hazard".
Louise was stunned when the council moved a charging point that had previously been further up the road and placed it outside her door.
It was originally installed in a lampost on the street during the pandemic but a decision was taken to move it after complaints from locals.
Now, though, Louise can't park outside her home as the charger comes with an EV-only bay attached.
She told The Sun Online: "The space is too big for one car but not big enough for two.
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"You have to have a permit to park here anyway and sometimes it's difficult, but this is Brighton.
"It's a nightmare for delivery drivers but most of the time they just park there anyway. I've never seen anybody get a ticket."
Not only that but she claims cables are strewn across the pavement and could trip pedestrians up.
Louise added that life has been a "nightmare" since the charger was moved as confusion reigned across the street.
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She explained: "This is a one-way street and we are near the corner so sometimes people drive in the wrong way and have to turn in the street to get out which is also dangerous.
"I wrote to the council asking them to move it to the dead end across the road but the inspector just looked at me blankly.
"I don't know how they decide where to put them, but it doesn't seem that well thought through."
Fellow resident Amy Baker also objected to the loss of parking spaces outside her block of flats.
She claimed that the bays sit empty as the chargers are hardly used, but that the council ignored local objections.
The community worker added that carers who visit her at home now have nowhere nearby to park as the squeeze on spaces has left the street stuffed up.
She fumed: "The only time they are full is when there are people down from London with their electric cars.
"Parking is a problem in Brighton anyway but since the chargers have been installed it's been even more difficult to find places to park and I've had to start buying daily permits for them.
"We lost six car parking bays given over to chargers which are never used.
"They are also a target for anti-social behaviour. The kids just run around waving the cables around."
Amy also alleged that the council told her the chargers would be used for electric taxis, but said that cabbie pals of hers had informed her there is only one electric taxi in the city.
Trevor Muten, Brighton and Hove Council's transport lead, responded saying that 27,000 EVs are projected to be on Brighton's roads by 2028.
He said: "Many car owners in Brighton & Hove don’t have a private, off-street parking space, so chargers are installed at locations based on residents’ requests.
"To support all our residents and visitors with the transition to net zero, we’ve launched a parking review to look at this impact and many other issues that residents have expressed concerns about.
"We’re also looking at options for a park and ride scheme to reduce pressure on parking spaces for our residents, particularly those who live in the city centre."
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It comes as the Government announced it would water down its net zero policies, including a delay on the ban of new petrol and diesel car sales from 2030 to 2035.
Meanwhile, one driver said he was left in serious pain after trying to make a 900-mile road trip in an EV.
