By The Star Staff
San Juan District 4 Rep. Víctor Parés Otero introduced legislation over the weekend to prohibit internal combustion vehicles from parking in a designated electric vehicle charging spot unless it is to recharge the unit.
“At the moment there are no tools that the police, as well as the relevant entities, can use to prevent charging slots from being blocked by vehicles that are not using them or by combustion vehicles,” the lawmaker said in a written statement. “We often find that those few spaces are being occupied by vehicles that are not charging or that are not electric, preventing others who need to recharge from using them. This is the equivalent of blocking a gas pump for a non-electric vehicle.”
“This measure seeks that, regardless of whether it is a plug-in vehicle or not, as long as the charging point is not being used, being parked in that space will lead to a fine,” Parés Otero added. “These parking spaces are reserved for electric vehicles that are being recharged. These charging places will be treated in the same way as parking places reserved for disabled or motorcycle parking.”
House Bill 2009, filed on Jan. 30 by petition, adds a new paragraph to Article 6.19 of Act 22 of Jan. 7, 2000, better known as the “Puerto Rico Vehicle and Traffic Act,” for the purpose of establishing this new provision.