Most of the time when folks talk about automobiles they focus only on the emissions and gas used to drive the vehicle as the main culprit; however, they forget the amount of resources needed (and pollution created) by just building an automobile. Even if each person participating in the Car Share was driving the same amount as they did before there would be a reduction in pollution and used resources since there would be only one car instead of multiple autos.
Many of the college students and other folks who may participate in this probably don't own brand new fuel efficient autos with cleaner exhaust. They probably are running older cars that tend to burn oil, not as efficient exhaust system, and may have poor fuel efficiency. It would seem to be a step in the right direction to get this auto's off the roads. There are other aspects that are useful for Car Sharing. Studies show that each participant drives less when in a Car Share than if they each had their own vehicle (because, I assume, it is a tad bit more difficult to just go out and drive). I think that they are targeting the downtown, near-east, near-west locations since those folks (I'm not sure if it is undoubtedly do most of its business with presently car-less UW students living in and around the UW campus area) would be where folks who would be interested in Car Sharing would live. I don't think they would get a big turn out of folks in the rural and suburban areas where everything, by design, is driving distance from home. The Car Share is a step in the right directions but of course it is not a silver bullet solution. Enough rambling from me. --- Kathryn Kingsbury <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > The price-per-mile in car sharing programs is > nothing to blink at; it is > cheaper than owning a car but much more expensive > than biking or taking the > bus (the latter of which is free to UW students, by > the way). > > kathryn > > on 8/12/03 9:45 PM, [EMAIL PROTECTED] at > [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: > > > Did anyone here happen to take Car Sharing LLC up > on this invitation? I > > have serious doubts about whether such car sharing > businesses will > > actually serve to reduce car driving in a > university city like Madison. > > > > > > The program will undoubtedly do most of its > business with presently > > car-less UW students living in and around the UW > campus area. By > > becoming a member of Car Sharing LLC, the > individuals will be able to > > drive to the big malls and big box stores located > off the beltline like > > near everyone else in and around Madison presently > do; they will also be > > able to bar hop to new bars and restaurants not > accessible by foot or > > bicycle, and to travel to outlying residential > areas where a majority of > > their professors undoubted live now (and party). > > > > The car-less student will now have the opportunity > to access and use > > "community cars", at all hours of the day -- > without having to pay for > > parking, vehicle maintenance, fuel and car > insurance. The students will > > still be able to get out of paying for city street > maintenance services ===== Steve Tudisco "Beer not Bombs" __________________________________ Do you Yahoo!? Yahoo! SiteBuilder - Free, easy-to-use web site design software http://sitebuilder.yahoo.com _______________________________________________ Bikies mailing list [EMAIL PROTECTED] http://www.danenet.org/mailman/listinfo/bikies
