Special Parking Provisions Are Key to More Car-Sharing Growth, Study Concludes
By Scott Doggett September 9, 2010Local government policies that address urban parking scarcity are the primary method the public sector can help the practice of car-sharing regain its rapid growth during the first part of the decade and ultimately cut automotive emissions among city dwellers, the Mineta Transportation Institute said in a report released today.
By making additional provisions for metered, zoned and off-street parking, permitting and other actions, city governments may help boost the practice of car-sharing, whose growth has slowed since 2004. Urban parking has been the primary limiting factor for the practice, according to the non-profit institute, which was established by Congress in 1991.
"The provision of on-street parking dedicated to car-sharing vehicles is an important policy issue confronting local governments," the 90-page report said. The institute reported 33 active North American car-sharing programs with about 319,000 members sharing about 7,500 vehicles.
Car-sharing companies such as Zipcar and some public-policy entities have pitched the practice as a way to reduce urban pollution by influencing driving habits and cutting car ownership. About a quarter of U.S. car-sharing participants sold a vehicle after joining a program, the report said, adding that car-sharing cuts a typical user's tailpipe emissions by as much as 50 percent.
Car-sharing services including Zipcar, which was founded in 1999 and which announced plans earlier this year to go public, charge an annual membership fee, which gives customers the opportunity to make an online reservation and drive a "shared" car at an hourly rate. Zipcar, citing research firm Frost & Sullivan, has estimated that North America car-sharing revenue will jump more than tenfold to $3.3 billion in 2016 from $253 million last year.
Chicago, Philadelphia, Washington, D.C., and San Francisco are among the 18 local jurisdictions that have enacted special parking provisions for car-sharing companies, according to the report.
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