Cork City Council has become the first local authority to ban the use of designated Electric Vehicle (EV) parking spots by non-EVs.
Vehicles found to be parked in these designated spots will be guilty of an offence and could be fined.
The move comes after new legislation was introduced by the Department of Transport that allows for the designation of on-street parking for EV charging. In Cork, the designated spaces have been allocated to Copley Street (where there are four EV spaces) as well as South Mall and Lower Glanmire Road. In addition, there are similar designated spaces in the county area including Cork County Hall - Carrigroghan Road, Monkstown and Blarney.
"This initiative will allow EV drivers to access on-street charge points to re-charge their vehicle and will remove a major frustration for EV drivers who have often found a charging space blocked by a conventional fuelled vehicle," said Donal Herraghty, Infrastructure Manager, ESB ecars.
"We are continuing with this rollout across Cork county and major urban areas across the country. This will complement Cork's recent Drive4Zero initiative, promoting electromobility in the Cork region."
Cork City Council has also provided 50 free EV parking spaces at the Black Ash Park & Ride facility.