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Neighbourhood Car Fleets: The key to rational car use

Individual car ownership is inefficient, costly, and invasive in the urban environment. Shared access to cars would enable the total stock to be reduced by at least 50%. Neighbourhood Car Fleets (or "Car Clubs" as they have come to be known) have now become common in many cities, but the full potential of shared cars is a long way off.

Note that this is not about "car sharing", or what is more accurately called in America "ride sharing". Car clubs are about access to cars that are shared with others, similar to conventional car rental, but available on a short-term basis, and - most importantly - available in the local neighbourhood.

See pdf for article

See also a memorandum submitted to the House of Commons Select Committee on Environment, Transport and Regional Affairs in 1998, which contains the gist of the concept.

See also "Neighbourhood Car Fleets and Car-Free Housing" published as Annex 1 of "Sustainable Residential Quality" (DETR, GoL, LPAC, 1997).

Article TitleNeighbourhood Car Fleets: The key to rational car use
Article AuthorTim Pharoah
JournalPlanning in London July 1998
Issue26, pages 21-23

keywords

Car club, neighbourhood cars, shared cars, car ownership, shared ownership, traffic reduction, pay as you drive