Car Clubs Are Coming! (Twickenham & Richmond Liberal Democrats)

Car Clubs Are Coming!

February 14, 2009 11:33 AM

• [Feb 13]: CLLR David Trigg* sets out the Council's plans to encourage Car Clubs in the Borough:

We adopted a car club strategy for the borough in 2007. Car clubs are 'pay as you go' vehicles: by becoming a member of a car club, you can book and pay for a car by the hour, day or week. Car Plus, the accrediting body for car clubs has research evidence that shows that a car club car can replace the ownership of up to 20 private cars. This helps to reduce CO2 emissions as car club members drive less and car clubs use new vehicles with more efficient engines.

The borough has adopted a multiple car club operator model as per TfL's latest strategy for car clubs. Three operators have applied and been accepted to operate in the borough: City Car Club, Streetcar and Zipcar. Streetcar and City Car Club already operate in the borough from private off street spaces so residents are already aware of their presence in the borough and are making use of them. Together the operators have 19 cars and 3 vans and have a car club membership of nearly 1,000; a further 350 residents have requested a car club car near them through the operator website.

Officers are currently considering 80 new on-street locations in the borough for significant expansion of car club provision. 30 bays are being considered for implementation as a first phase in February with the remainder to follow in March/April. The car club bays will be initially implemented by an 'Experimental Traffic Order', which will give residents, Ward Councillors and the operators the opportunity to assess their impact and effectiveness before consideration is given to making them permanent. It will also provide the opportunity to identify any gaps in provision. The Experimental Traffic Order will come into effect on the 23/02/09 and will include schedules with the locations of the proposed first and second phase bays. The borough has been selected by TfL to have a special publicity and marketing campaign for car clubs supported and funded by them, in collaboration with the borough and the operators.

Cabinet Member for Traffic, Transport & Parking

Richmond upon Thames Liberal Democrats: