Jess Kellahan slams Albury's proposed Volt Lane EV charger site

The jibe follows complaints that the CBD has just one public charger prompting the council to announce it would be installing eight next week, with four planned for Volt Lane.

Jess Kellahan said business owners and police were well aware of problems caused by what she described as the "Volt Lane riff raff".

Cr Kellahan has previously raised issues over antisocial behaviour at Volt Lane.

"It baffles me to hear that Albury Council are endorsing EV chargers in a known hotspot for vandalism and antisocial behaviours - it's a ridiculous idea," Cr Kellahan said.

"If we have concerns around vandalism at the Kiewa Street car park, we should also be wary of this at Volt Lane.

"How good will EV chargers be when the lifts are broken to a person with mobility constraints? Or for those who simply will not continue to walk through the urinated stairwell?"

Cr Kellahan said Identifying optimal locations for EV chargers was imperative.

"Site selection should be based on socio-demographic factors, travel patterns, availability of appropriate street infrastructure such as lamp posts, parking spaces with mobility access, and proximity to local services," Cr Kellahan said.

"I am glad to hear there are more EV chargers on the way to the residents of Albury, for commuters who are travelling through Albury and tourists who wish to stay a little longer.

"But there are ongoing vandalism and antisocial behaviour issues at Volt Lane on a regular basis at all hours of the day, this has been a problem for many years now.

"Will the chargers be robust enough to withstand the Volt Lane riff raff?

"The Kiewa Street EV charger has been broken since April. No one is stopping in Albury to charge their car, what a lost tourism opportunity. Why is this still not fixed?"

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