Provisional list of forthcoming EV chargers in Bow
One of the questions I’m asked most often is some variation of: “Councillor, I’d like to have more electric vehicle charging facilities in my area. How can I request one, and when will they be working?”
One of the Mayor’s only manifesto commitments on transport was a promise to install large numbers of EV chargers across the borough and I’ve been regularly asking the project team for details and updates.
I’ve finally obtained some detailed information which I’m pleased to share. The following information is lifted from an enquiry response dated 28 October 2024:
“The Council is currently engaged in the procurement process to deliver over 2300 charging points across the borough. These include a mix of 5kw lamp column chargers, 7kw fast chargers and 50kw rapid chargers.”
Locations in Bow
“We have undertaken high level identification of suitable sites for each type of charger. However final locations will be subject to more detailed technical feasibility and local consultation before locations are finalised and installations commence.”
“For Bow various sites have been identified for each type of charger. These include:
- Standard street column chargers 7kw: Arbery Road, Lyal Road, Medway Road, Gernon Road, Aberavon Road, Longnor Road, Ellesmere Road, Chisenhale Road, Driffield Road and Bunsen Street.
- Fast chargers (7kw-22kw): Bunsen Street, Gernon Road, Saxon Street, Clinton Road, Morgan Street
- Rapid Chargers (50kw): Antill Road”
It’s important to be aware that the team is not promising that all of these locations will get chargers. This is an initial set of plans which are subject to consultation and further confirmation.
Timelines
“We expect to award contracts in December and see installations commence in early 2025.”
Dedicated parking bays
I have requested further information about how many of the chargers in Bow will have dedicated parking bays next to them. I will update this post when I hear back, however, it is likely that only a handful in Bow will have dedicated parking bays.
To explain this, another manifesto commitment which the transport team is required to deliver is an increase in parking spaces. Allocating parking spaces to electric vehicles while they are charging is seen as removing them from from the general parking in the borough.
Therefore, when I last received an answer to this specific question in January 2023, the team told me that only half of the rapid chargers would have dedicated parking bays. That totalled 23 across the borough, so I would imagine only a few would be in Bow.
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