PelamToday received the following letter from a reader who noticed a Fonthill municipal SUV parked in a spot reserved for electric vehicles.
Fonthill is to be congratulated. It has made the effort to have EV chargers installed at Town Hall for the benefit of locals and particularly travellers, who will certainly be drawn by the convenience of having charge points adjacent to Hwy 20 and with shopping and dining close at hand.
However, whilst on my evening walk yesterday, I was disappointed to see a town vehicle parked in one of the spaces dedicated to charger customers. The parking lot was empty save for one other town vehicle.
Fonthill's chargers are already listed on the apps used by EV drivers across the continent to locate charge points while travelling. These units will all soon be in regular use and with reviews of their status ("charger blocked by town vehicle'?) posted online for all to see.
While the parking spaces in front of the chargers are not yet painted to note that they are reserved for charger customers, surely city staff must be alert to that fact. One of the Town's own, non-electric, SUVs blocking a charger space could be interpreted by an EV driver looking to pay for a charge as a raised middle finger.
Other charging options with similar amenities are close at hand. The Seaway Mall and Fitch Street Plaza, to name but two. This behaviour should be nipped in the bud. Non-electric vehicles and electric vehicles that are not charging, no matter who owns them, should be discouraged (ticket and tow) from occupying the spaces dedicated to paying charger customers.
I'm sure FLO Inc., the Town's partner in this venture would agree.
Sam (Sandy) Fairbairn
Fonthill
