Con Edison will be installing three electric car charging stations on the public streets of the Upper West Side (h/t Patch).
This will be part of a pilot program called Curbside Electric Vehicle Charging Pilot, which was approved by the Upper West Side Community Board 7 after a proposal by the Department of Transportation and Con Edison.
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- 93rd between Central Park West and Columbus Ave.
- West End Ave between 66th and 70th Streets.
- 86th between West End and Riverside Drive.
Each station will take up two street parking spots. The cars will charge at the station at pricing similar to gas stations. The current plan is to install the three stations next spring.
Those in support of the program say it incentivizes residents to purchase and use electric cars, as these are the only street parking spots in the city for electric cars to charge. Other charging stations are available in paid garages.
Opposition to the program has said that public space shouldn’t be used to specifically benefit electric car users. Opposers cite, as mentioned above, that garages in the neighborhood provide this service already.
This follows the elimination of 400 parking spots by the new bike lane on Central Park West that was approved this July.
These charging stations would function as street parking, but are reserved for electric cars only. This means that the three stations would total six electric car parking spots.
In the bigger scope of the pilot program, the Department of Transportation will install fifty of these charging ports throughout the city, with eight in Manhattan. That means almost half of Manhattan’s charging ports in this pilot will be on the Upper West Side.
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