I got ICE'd today

[John_Hatchett]

http://gm-volt.com/

[VoltageDrop]

the Walmart security patrol just watched as the third vehicle pulled into the spot and walked into the store.


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Attachment 6283

Ignorance is bliss.....I could just see the mentality....."screw those electron driving geeks....I'm parking here".....it is these same type of people that park in the handicap spots using their parents placards.......I wonder if you could call and get them towed for parking in those charger spots?

[Dan & Nan]

I really don't know why station owners don't put a sign indicating that unauthorized vehicles will be towed. Heck, evGO (IIRC) has an automated system with warning lights - for cars that aren't charging and for those that have finished charging but been there too long afterwards (15 minutes IIRC). And, they call a tow! A simple sign seems easy by comparison.

[ITestStuff]

The signs are in HORRIBLE places. Definitely easy to miss. Those posts should be in front of the spots and/or the spot should have more obvious markings.

Even if they saw the sign, there's nothing I see on those signs to indicate that these are *exclusively* for EV's.

I had the drivers paged (using their vehicle's license plate) with an announcement that their vehicles were parked in reserved spaces and needed to be moved.

I also called 311(non-emergency) and reported the issue, was transfered to the police dispatcher who said they were dispatching an officer.

Is it against the law in your area to park in these spots?

[ShannonVolt]

In my area in Virginia strip malls and shopping centers are classified as private properties. Law enforcement usually cannot enforce instances such as this. Our local Best Buy has a sign posted at a parking spot closest to the store that says reserved for fuel efficient vehicles only. I believe on a federal level the stores cannot give special preferences to certain consumers based on the type of vehicle they drive. Unless there is an actual law on the books whether local, state, or federal enforcing these special signs, they hold no water legally.

Another point- if you are a consumer that regularly shops at this retailer with your hard earned cash, why should the other shopper that does the same receives a preferred parking spot closer to the building for simply driving a different vehicle than what most Americans drive? I support charging stations everywhere there is parking BUT that does not entitle us for front row seats. To be given the privilege to park next to a handicap space because we drive EV's is weak.

[mikeg3]

In our city, only one organization puts restrictive signs at its EVSE sites. They may not be enforceable but they work.

The local electric company that administers all the DOE EVSE subsidies paints the lines yellow and that works pretty well. it's sort of an implied threat.

The best approach is to put the equipment in the farthest section of the parking area.

[ITestStuff]

In my area in Virginia strip malls and shopping centers are classified as private properties.
<snip>
I believe on a federal level the stores cannot give special preferences to certain consumers based on the type of vehicle they drive.

If it's private property, why can't they choose who can park where? Seems like it's up to the business owner to make that call, assuming that they are complying with any other requirements (such as parking for the disabled). Many stores have pregnant mother parking. This is a similar concept. (To be clear - I am not trying to make any political statement here; simply trying to clarify that if it's not public property, then why is it a federal/state issue)

I paid $25, along with others, in advance to use these charging stations. If a vehicle that is not a subscriber, or not paying to use the charging station is preventing me from using it, then they are denying me the service I contracted and paid for. Since I bought the service from the City, they are who I turn to for a remedy. The city police are the enforcement agents for the City.

I don't believe you understand the full terms of the agreement. And I'd bet that the people that parked in those spots don't even KNOW about the agreement

You should be embarrassed that you called the cops for this. Bad enough that you had the people paged at Wal Mart.

[ShannonVolt]

[QUOTE=ITestStuff;166084]If it's private property, why can't they choose who can park where? Seems like it's up to the business owner to make that call, assuming that they are complying with any other requirements (such as parking for the disabled). Many stores have pregnant mother parking. This is a similar concept. (To be clear - I am not trying to make any political statement here; simply trying to clarify that if it's not public property, then why is it a federal/state issue)

I see what you mean but not legally enforceable since the public uses the facilities. The retailer can indeed put up any sign they please, just doesn't mean its the law as compared to ADA or other enforceable requirements.

[ITestStuff]

Another point- if you are a consumer that regularly shops at this retailer with your hard earned cash, why should the other shopper that does the same receives a preferred parking spot closer to the building for simply driving a different vehicle than what most Americans drive? I support charging stations everywhere there is parking BUT that does not entitle us for front row seats. To be given the privilege to park next to a handicap space because we drive EV's is weak.

You can make the choice to shop there or not. They're trying to cluster them to make them easier to find. Up front with the other reserved spots makes sense. They also want to put them near the door to sort of show them off.

If you were installing chargers in a gigantic WalMart parking lot, where would you place them so they could be easily found? Seems like maybe they could do something like a 4/8 bay carport-like thing with solar panels on top. That way, the contraption itself will make it obvious that they have chargers, and where they are located. That's obviously a more substantial investment. If you put them in the middle of the parking lot without something like this, I think the cars just become targets for stray carts

I see what you mean but not legally enforceable since the public uses the facilities. The retailer can indeed put up any sign they please, just doesn't mean its the law as compared to ADA or other enforceable requirements.

Sounds like we're in complete agreement on this one.

[mikeg3]

I can't imagine ticketing or towing a car with the weak signage shown in your photos. Walmart is not going to want their customers' cars ticketed or towed anyway. They'll dump the EVSEs first.

Walmart has lots of money. They should just move the chargers to the rear of the parking lot. This works.

BTW, the various EVSE mapping sites allow you to put in really detailed location information, either directly or by email. I do this a lot.