DfT's 'Plan for Drivers' includes aim to speed-up chargepoint rollout

The Department for Transport has announced its 'Plan for Drivers', which is a new 30-point plan to curb over-zealous enforcement measures and make journeys easier. This includes measures to speed up the rollout of electric vehicle charging and and extending grants to schools to install chargepoints.

The plan includes measures measures to help councils increase spending on fixing potholes and road repairs, fining roadworks which overrun, new technology to simplify parking payment and updating 20mph zone guidance for England to prevent inappropriate blanket use.

To help ease congestion, £70 million will be provided to councils this financial year in three different schemes to invest in improving traffic lights and signals, including AI tech to optimise traffic flow in city centres.

Journeys will also be smoother and quicker with the digitisation of traffic regulation orders, which will pave the way for autonomous vehicles and make life easier for today’s motorists by ensuring satnavs have the most up-to-date information on the location of parking spaces, road closures and speed limits.

The zero-emission pledges in the plan include:

• Reviewing grid connections process for EV chargepoints, with the aim to accelerate it
• Consulting on measures to speed up the approvals process for installation of chargepoints
• Providing dedicated, targeted support for schools to install chargepoints, using existing grants
• Widening eligibility of EV chargepoint grants to include cross-pavement solutions to make EV ownership a more practical option for those without off-street parking
• Providing guidance on the use of safe cross-pavement solutions
• Consulting on the expansion of permitted development rights, making private chargepoint installation cheaper and easier
• Working with industry to myth-bust concerns about EVs