Dlr Press Release 20/05/21
As many of us move or consider moving to Electric or Hybrid Vehicles, dlr’s Public Lighting Section have increased the amount of self-charging parking bays across our county. Moving forward we are also very conscious that disabled drivers are also starting to consider electric vehicles as a viable option.
An Cathaoirleach, Una Power said:
“We are delighted to install the first disabled/accessible electric charging bay in Ireland, in partnership with Char.gy and Energia and are committed to extending our range of accessible infrastructure across the County and universal public realm design choices. We are asking for feedback from the disability sector over the coming months and will explore other key locations across the county.”
The new disabled pilot bay is located within Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown’s carpark on the Sandyford Road, directly across the road from the Dundrum Town Centre. Designed to full accessible standards the bay can be used by drivers when charging their Electric/Hybrid vehicle, who have displayed a valid disabled parking permit (the blue badge).
Richard Stobart founded Char.gy in 2016 after identifying a gap in the market for on-street charging points. He said:
“I am excited to see the first unit on the streets of Ireland. It is great to see these being added to our portfolio of units already available in the UK. We are looking forward to growing our relationship with Energia and seeing more of our charge points on the streets of Ireland.”
dlr Traffic Section designed both the bay and related signage and Energia & Char.gy installed the lamppost smart charge point.
Gavin Hickey, project manager at Energia said:
“Energia and Char.gy have joined forces to offer an on-street smart charging solution for electric vehicles. Our charge points can be attached to lampposts or as standalone bollards to offer easy, cost effective, open-access charging. We are delighted to be involved in this project with dlr installing Ireland’s first lamppost attached EV charge point and look forward to offering this convenient means of on-street charging as a vital step towards reducing vehicle emissions across Ireland.”
We thank Dolores Murphy (recently retired) from the Irish Wheelchair Association (IWA) for her great assistance and guidance in both design and location, based upon the most up to date guidelines from the IWA and John Nolan, (recently deceased) Chair of the dlr Disability & Consultation Group for his input also.
This launch takes place on Global Accessibility Awareness day which focuses on digital access and inclusion and together with Recite Me we want to raise awareness for people with disabilities online and provide an inclusive experience when visiting our website at dlrcoco.ie (available through our accessibility button).
User Instructions:
- The driver arrives at the charge point.
- The driver types the URL/web address found on the top of the charge point into their browser on their smart phone.
- The driver hits the Start button to begin the charge.
For further queries, contact dlr’s Communications Office at [email protected] or 01 204 7090.
Pictured above (L-R):
- Aidan Blighe, Director of Services, Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown County Council.
- Derek Whelan, Driver, Irish Wheelchair Association.
- Gavin Hickey, Development Engineer, Energia.
- Councillor Una Power, Cathaoirleach of Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown County Council.
- Dolores Murphy (retired), Access & Housing Support Services, Irish Wheelchair Association.
- Robert Burns, Director of Services, Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown County Council.
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