WHEN Mayor Lutfur Rahman planned, in 2022, to install 1,000 Electric Vehicle Charging Points over the lifetime of his Administration, there were some residents who thought this was fanciful. How wrong they were!
The plan was tailored to local circumstances – particular the fact that 93% of homes in the borough do not have their own off-street parking. The emphasis in the last Administration, therefore, was to prioritise putting Electric Vehicle Charging Points in “lamp columns” (formerly known as lamp posts). This allowed Electric Vehicle owners to charge their vehicles overnight in street parking bays.
As they were designed for vehicles which were parked overnight, those chargers were slow chargers, which are cheaper to instal, and the Council was able to install over 2,000 Charging Points Now, however, the Council is installing 70 new rapid Charging Points. These can still be used by residents, but they are particularly useful for taxi drivers, businesses and fleet vehicles which have a higher demand for charging.
The new Charging Points will be handy for owners of the 5,400 Electric Vehicles which are registered in Tower Hamlets. The Council has not announced how many petrol and diesel vehicles are registered in Tower Hamlets, so it is not clear what percentage of Tower Hamlets-resident vehicles are powered by electricity. However, a reliable supply of handy Charging Points will, the Council hopes, encourage more car owners to swich to Electric Vehicles.
A large part – probably most – of the air pollution in the borough is caused by through traffic. However, residents do drive on local journeys and, even more importantly, they spend ages waiting to get on to the busy road that are full of the through traffic – spreading their fumes in residential areas. An increase in the number of resident Electric Vehicles can only help.
The Council is working with Charging Point operator Believ. The first Electric Vehicle chargers are now live at locations including White Horse Lane, Prusom Street, Plumbers Row, Alfred Street, Stepney Green and Chrisp Street, with further sites to follow as the rollout continues.
Councillor Shafi Ahmed, Cabinet Member for a Clean and Green Borough, welcomed the new Charging Points. “We want residents to have a range of options that work for them, whether that’s charging overnight near their home or getting a faster charge while they’re out and about,” he said. “This latest investment is another important step towards cleaner transport in Tower Hamlets, helping us reduce emissions, improve air quality and build the infrastructure our borough will need for the future.”
●Read more about it: Put your foot down on Electric Vehicles! Tower Hamlets and ULEZ cut air pollution