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Environment and greener living
Car sharing and car clubs
With more cars on the roads, car sharing schemes are springing up to help combat congestion and reduce CO2 emissions. The benefit of sharing a vehicle has also led to the introduction of car sharing lanes on some roads, including a motorway trial which was introduced in Spring 2008. Joining a car club can have benefits too - and it helps the environment.
The benefits of car sharing
Car sharing schemes allow people to share vehicles for some journeys. Benefits of this include:
- improved air quality and less carbon emissions - due to reduced traffic
- reduced travel costs for each person
- shorter journeys - due to fewer cars on the road
- an increased chance of finding a parking space
- increased personal security when walking to and from the car
Finding or creating a car sharing scheme
There are:
- organised schemes available to everyone and operating over the internet, while others are only for people in certain organisations or businesses
- less formal arrangements - by planning journeys with family, friends and colleagues
Check your local council website for organised schemes in your area.
Carplus - a charity that promotes responsible car use – lists local schemes.
Car clubs
A car club provides its members with access to the 'hire' of a vehicle. Vehicles are parked in reserved parking spaces, close to homes or workplaces and can be used (and paid for) on an hourly, daily or weekly basis. Car clubs have a vital role to play in reducing our dependence on the car by giving people access to a car for essential journeys without the need to own one.
Using a car club is very easy and less hassle than ownership, for example:
- a car is booked through a central office using the telephone or internet
- cars can be hired 24 hrs a day for as little as an hour at a time
- cars are left in parking bays, sometimes less than 10 minutes walk from where you live or work
- keys are either kept at a nearby safe, or in the car, which is accessed using a smart card
- drivers pay a monthly fee and are billed for hours hired and miles driven
- servicing and maintenance is taken care of for you
Car sharing lanes
Car sharing lanes are designed for vehicles with more than one occupant and are being introduced in areas that experience high congestion levels, in order to encourage car sharing. Cameras may be used to ensure that only cars containing two or more people use the lanes.
Leeds and Gloucestershire operate car sharing lanes, and in March 2008 the UK's first motorway car share lane was opened, linking the southbound M606 near Bradford to the eastbound M62 towards Leeds.
More useful links
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Thinking of buying a new car?
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Journey planner
Plan your entire journey by car or public transport and calculate your CO2 emissions
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