Around 80 electric vehicle charging points have been installed across Norwich over the past year, but drivers have complained they cannot use them because non-electric vehicles are parked in the bays. Norfolk County Council is now planning to introduce Experimental Traffic Regulation Orders (ETROs) at six locations to reserve charging bays for EVs only.

The proposed restrictions would apply to one pair of bays at each charging location, leaving any remaining bays unaffected. The time-limited rules would run from 8am to 6pm, with no restriction overnight, at Portersfield Road, Earlham Road, Stafford Street, Charles Square, Whitehall Road, and Lincoln Street.

The council confirmed the fifth and final phase of civil works for its on-street EV charging pilot project is now complete, with chargepoint installation and commissioning due to follow shortly.

Using an experimental rather than permanent order means the council can monitor whether the restrictions work in practice and gather feedback before deciding on any long-term arrangements. A letter-drop consultation for residents living near the affected bays is due to begin soon.

The issue was raised at the full council meeting on 21 July by Cllr Paul Neale, who questioned why no traffic orders had been put in place despite most of the chargepoints being active for up to a year. The Cabinet Member for Highways and Transport confirmed that discussions with the Highways Department were underway and provided a written response setting out the plans.