Car Sharing in Cork City

Posted by Conor O'Neill on Thursday, March 22, 2007

Got an email from Cork GreenMap telling me about a new feasibility study that Cork City Council are doing in the area of Car Sharing.

Cork City Council is considering the feasibility of the setting up of a car-sharing service – also called “car club” in the UK – in Cork City:

http://www.corkcorp.ie/ourservices/roads/carsharing.shtml

What is car-sharing? Car-sharing in urban areas is a cost-effective alternative to owning your own car. It allows people access to a car when they need it, from a place near their home or workplace. The car can be used for short trips lasting as little as an hour or booked for a few days. You only pay for the hours you keep the car and the distance you drive. NB: the term “car-sharing” is also used to designate the sharing of a ride.

Who can be members of a car-sharing club? Members of a car club can be both individuals who don’t need a car on a daily basis and companies/organisations looking for mobility solutions to tackle parking, traffic or car-pooling issues on their site in Cork City.

What are the advantages of car-sharing? The advantages of car-sharing are numerous:

  • Affordable: just pay for the time the car is in use and the distance driven
  • Reserved parking: cars are conveniently located in reserved places close to where you live or work
  • Flexible: book a car for as little as an hour, on-line or calling a booking centre
  • Easy to use: after registration you just book it, jump in the car and drive away
  • Planet-friendly: car-sharing globally reduces parking pressure and car use, helping to combat pollution and climate change

Tell us what you think!

A feasibility study is being carried out on behalf of Cork City Council and a public consultation stage is now on track to assess the potential market of such a service as well as to define the best locations of a car club in the city centre.

If a car-sharing scheme is of any interest for you please take part in our on-line survey:

http://www.zoomerang.com/recipient/survey-intro.zgi?p=WEB2267Q9ECZ6E

Click on the following link for leaflets about the car-sharing project as well as a tool to calculate your car costs:

http://www.corkcorp.ie/ourservices/roads/carsharing.shtml

Also don’t hesitate to get in touch with Traffic Division to get more information or to give your opinion:

Noel Tummon, Traffic Division, Cork City Council VHI Buildings, 70 South Mall, Cork Tel: 021 492 4452 E-mail: traffic@corkcity.ie

Looks like Cork is turning into the San Fran of Ireland in more ways than one! I hope this idea takes off.


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