Struja
“Frost”
Even though I haven’t seen the sun in three days, I want one of those solar canopies!
-
Want to remove ads? Register an account and login to see fewer ads, and become a Supporting Member to remove almost all ads.
Supercharger - Etobicoke ON
- Thread starter MarcoRP
- Start date
-
- Tags
- Canada Supercharging
mknox
Well-Known Member
There is a move afoot to address this. Two things need to happen: 1) Allow homeowners to install EVSE on a pedestal at curbside and 2) assign the parking spot to the homeowner. Right now, permit street parking does not guarantee a spot in front of your house, only somewhere on the street.
Is this really in the works - a specifically assigned street parking spot? It helps single family home owners but what about multiple units in one house? Or small apartment buildings or busy streets? I used to live in the Beach and had street parking plus a parking pad and I can think of all kinds of challenges.
It'll be a mess no matter what - because of abuse. It'll be first come first serve, so those who have lived in the area for a long time and aren't on the ball, they could lose "their spot" simply because someone else claimed it with the city first. I cannot see that it's going to go over well with everyone, let alone transient traffic who park on the same streets during the day or weekends to patronize local businesses - what's going to happen with that? Are they going to be ticketed and towed?
In addition to the issues that you raised - who pays for the install - the homeowner/landlord? The city? Toronto Hydro? Or do you have to pay to charge? How much will it cost to do the install (which may require ripping up a sidewalk)?
Does it have a separate meter or is it connected to the house? What happens if the EV owner moves after a year and the costs haven't been recovered? What about streets where you can only park on one side - if you are on the wrong side of the street are you screwed? How do you handle situations with multiple people claiming a single spot? Who pays for vandalism repairs?
Does it have a separate meter or is it connected to the house? What happens if the EV owner moves after a year and the costs haven't been recovered? What about streets where you can only park on one side - if you are on the wrong side of the street are you screwed? How do you handle situations with multiple people claiming a single spot? Who pays for vandalism repairs?
I would think that a lot of it would fall into the hands of the home owners. That said, I can also see an incentive program to help offset some of the costs. There may also be some "public" chargers installed by the city/province, but looking at the way they're currently rolling it out, I cannot see them doing an intensive rollout on the streets, unless tied to something else like street light posts.
Just out of curiosity, aren't there some streets that alternate sides for parking as well (depending on season, week or day of the month or some other weird idea)?
As I said, it's going to be a mess and certainly not everyone is going to be happy.
mknox
Well-Known Member
From what I've read, other cities are either doing or considering this. There is/was some lobbying to get Toronto to consider the same. It doesn't affect me, so I haven't kept a close eye on it, but I'd bet organizations like Plug 'n Drive would have a good handle on the status (if any) of this initiative.
The problem with current street parking permit is that you don't get a "reserved" spot... you can just park anywhere on the street. This wouldn't work so well if you installed EVSE in front of your house and someone else parked there.
It is not going to work in every circumstance. It is intended for homes with no driveways, but have permit street parking in front of their home. (i.e. the locations where people would otherwise try and run an extension cord out and potentially create a tripping hazard.)The homeowner would be responsible for all costs and it would be attached to the home's electrical service.
sakimano
Active Member
This isn't unique to Toronto - any dense urban area would have the same issues - I would think it would be just as bad in the urban core of Montreal. Many homes were not designed with the goal of facilitating parking and/or charging for EVs. And this is only likely to get worse as there are more discussion that urban design should become less focused on cars. Maybe the answer is for autonomously driven Uber services rather than facilitating EV charging on the street?
mknox
Well-Known Member
We may be members of the last "car ownership" generation. It certainly seems like the trend is towards more dense urbanization with a de-emphasis on car ownership. My step-son (early 30's) lives in Toronto now and has no interest in car ownership. He'll rent when he needs a car, is happy with transit and I think would be fine with autonomous Uber-like services.
Struja
“Frost”
The reality is, if you do live in any big urban centre, with a developed transit system, it's probably much cheaper in the long term to rent when you need and use transit.
When I lived in NYC, I didn't own a car for 11 years and only bought one when I moved to North Jersey, where a car became a necessity.
Drone Flyer
Active Member
mknox
Well-Known Member
I don't think he cares... and that's my point. Without trying to over-generalize, it seems kids these days aren't as interested in car ownership anymore, and will just use a car service on an as-needed basis.
Exactly. I saw a chart of the number of 20 year olds with licenses and it is way down in the last 30 years. I got my Learner's permit the day of my 16th birthday and I had my full license six weeks later. That doesn't happen as much these days.
sakimano
Active Member
that makes it better? mutual suffering? lol
Just saying living in the city proper is awful for a number of reasons (along with a number of pluses). I lived downtown and in a couple of 416 neighbourhoods for 10 years. Happy to not be fighting those battles anymore. It should be noted that when I did, I didn't have a car. I just rented em. But I always lusted after them.
sakimano
Active Member
it's a generalization and I believe it's accurate. I get that same impression about anyone 30 and under...they're just not into cars the way older generations are/were.
Many people feel the opposite way which is why there are a ton of condos being built in the core of the city right now. A buddy of mine and his wife moved from Markham to downtown about two years ago and they were going to try it out for a year before deciding what to do. After two weeks downtown they put their Markham house up for sale and they are loving it downtown.
Many millenials also quite like the urban lifestyle.
Similar threads
