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Richmond upon Thames Liberal Democrats:Covering the constituencies of Twickenham and Richmond Park |
Car club membership rockets as residents save thousands
August 26, 2009 6:57 PM
• MORE than 700 borough residents have joined car clubs since January, potentially saving themselves thousands of pounds, and fully justifying Richmond Council's support for the clubs, and its work to encourage alternatives to car ownership and to cut air pollution.
The increasing numbers - from 997 to 1,734 members, a 74 per cent rise, in just five months* is evidence of support for Council decisions to install and then build up the number of on street 'car club only' parking spaces, the authority said this week. In January there were six off street spaces, now there are 73 on street spots.
Cllr David Trigg, Cabinet Member for Traffic Transport and Parking, said: "We know car clubs might not work for everyone, but evidence shows more and more people are finding out the benefits and how much money they can save by joining. If you drive less than 6,000 miles a year you could save up to £3,500 by giving up your car and joining a club instead.
"We're determined to reduce the levels of harmful CO2 gas pumped into our air in the borough, and this evidence of a shift away from car ownership proves we are doing the right thing and I am delighted at the outstanding success of the scheme so far.
"I want to thank all our residents who have joined the clubs, for helping to improve air quality by cutting down the numbers of vehicles on the roads. If people are joining, they're much less likely to need their own vehicle, and by putting more than 70 dedicated parking spaces in place, we are making it even easier for everyone to hire a car near their home."
The new figures show the Council's Smarter Travel programme is more than half way towards reaching its target of 1,250 extra members by the year 2011.
Streetcar, the most popular of the three clubs operating in the borough has recorded figures showing that during June, its vehicles were used for 95 % of the time they are available.
Their research shows every Streetcar vehicle takes around six privately owned vehicles off the road, as members often choose to sell or not replace their car after joining. Car club members are also more likely to travel by other forms of transport as they become more environmentally aware.
Two other car clubs operate in Richmond upon Thames, Zip Car and City Car, and the Council is currently in the process of arranging membership of a club so staff can take advantage of the vehicles for essential work-based journeys.
*The latest available figures are from January to June 2009.
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