Car Clubs / Car Sharing Research Project
Car Share and Car Clubs: Potential Impacts (Final Report)
7. Findings from Phase Three Studies
Sections 7.1-7.4 summarise the conclusions of the four projects conducted during Phase Three of our work. There is some overlap in the recommendations for the first two reports but they are listed in full for ease of reference.
7.1 Car Clubs in New Developments
This report addresses the role and prospects for car clubs in new developments. It concludes that they have great potential and could make a significant contribution to the achievement of sustainable urban environments.
Eighteen recommendations are made for actions and research to promote the establishment of successful car clubs in new developments as follows:
7.1.1 To raise awareness and create an appropriate brand image:
1. Actions should be taken to raise the profile of the car club concept among the general public. The prime means of achieving this would be to seek media coverage by:
- distribution of professional-quality publicity material to selected journals, newspapers, lifestyle magazines, TV and radio programmes;
- ministerial attendance at a high-profile launch for a car club at a prestigious new development (this could be linked with adoption of a flagship scheme - see below);
- seeking to have the concept included in the storyline for a TV or radio soap opera (but see below for discussion of appropriate image).
2. DTLR should give immediate consideration to adopting one or more of the car clubs now being established in new developments with a view to its promotion as a high profile flagship scheme to demonstrate the concept in a UK context.
3. DTLR should consider designation of an official symbol, logo or pictogram for car club parking points and inclusion of the same within the Highway Code. Car clubs should be encouraged to display the logo prominently on their vehicles.
4. Actions should be taken to raise the profile of the car club concept among local authorities (officers and elected members). This might be done in several ways:
- The visibility of car clubs should be raised within government documents. DTLR should consider adding suitable words to the next versions of PPG13, PPG3 and to the guidance notes for the preparation of funding bids, Regional and Local Transport Plans, Travel awareness strategies, Green Travel Plans, Homezones, Controlled Parking Zones and Air Quality Management areas. Transport for London and the Regional Assemblies should be encouraged to mention car clubs in their relevant documents for use by their constituent authorities.
- Local authorities should be encouraged to include reference to car clubs in local design guides and Supplementary Planning Guidance
- perhaps requiring active consideration to be given to the establishment of car clubs in all new developments over a certain size.
- A ministerial statement should be made indicating government support for the car club concept in the context of sustainable urban mobility and the revitalisation of city centres.
- DTLR should consider inviting local authority opinion leaders to an event, hosted at ministerial level, at which the contribution of car clubs to the achievement of transport planning objectives and the encouragement of city centre living is emphasised.
- DTLR's Urban Policy Unit should consider mentioning the role of car clubs in new developments at the forthcoming Urban Summit (in Birmingham in October 2002).
5. Action is needed to raise the profile of the car club concept among developers. We suggest that a key means of achieving this could be to invite senior people from the industry to an event, hosted at ministerial level, at which the contribution of car clubs to the encouragement of city centre living is emphasised.
6. The term "car sharing" should be avoided in official documents or publicity material to refer to car clubs.
7. Publicity material destined for the public arena should emphasise the dynamic city lifestyle aspects of car club membership rather than its environmental credentials.
7.1.2 To achieve support for the concept:
8. Independent research be undertaken to establish the robustness of the European evidence and to seek reliable evidence from the existing UK schemes. Given that existing UK data is likely to prove inconclusive we further recommend that a robust monitoring programme be devised and that its implementation should be a condition of government support for car clubs.
9. Government literature on car clubs should emphasise that car clubs are most likely to reduce car use if they can be made to appeal to former car owners.
10. Thought should be given to the possibility and consequences of targeting financial support towards financially disadvantaged members of car clubs via reduced subscriptions.
7.1.3 To secure funding to support car clubs during their early years:11. Further investigations should be conducted to explore what level of contributions might realistically be expected from developers of different types of scheme in different circumstances.
12. The scope and limitations of Section 106 agreements and the tariff approach be further explored as a means of securing developer support for car clubs be further explored.
13. DTLR should consider how best to facilitate LTP/LIP related bids for funds to support car clubs and, more generally, to consider how funds intended for such initiatives can be protected within an overall allocation.
14. A report should be commissioned to explore the funding mechanisms available and to produce guidance for local authorities on how and where to seek funding.
7.1.4 To provide guidance on practical issues:
15. A revised and enlarged edition of the Good Practice Guide for Planners and Developers should be produced for planners and a separate version should be produced for developers with executive summaries of each published in the relevant professional journals.
7.1.5 To increase the attractiveness of car clubs in new developments to potential members:
16. Research should be conducted in an attempt to discover how far restrictive parking policies can be taken in different types of area before the adverse effects get too serious.
17. Consideration should be given to the specification of minimum standards necessary to secure public funding for car clubs.
18. Research should be conducted to establish the maximum acceptable fees and charges and that this be used to help determine the level of financial support needed for new clubs.
7.2 The Role of Local Authorities and Public Transport Operators in Successful Car Clubs
This report addresses the role of local authorities and public transport operators in the development of car clubs.
We conclude that local authority involvement is crucial to the success of car clubs (except perhaps those designed for special target groups such as employees of a particular organisation, where local authority involvement may be desirable but is not essential). We note that, although there are very many ways in which local authorities can assist car clubs, the provision of funding and an appropriate parking policy are perhaps the most important. We note that the promotion of car clubs can fit very well with local authorities' transport and planning policies.
We conclude that the involvement of public transport operators in a joint arrangement to provide discounted fares for club members can provide an important catalyst to the growth of car clubs, and that both sides can benefit from co-operation in areas such as marketing and smartcards.
We have made eighteen recommendations for action or research designed to overcome barriers to the involvement of local authorities and public transport operators in the development of car clubs. There is some overlap between these eighteen and those identified above (items 1-3 and 6-13 are equivalent to recommendations in section 7.1). However, for completeness, all eighteen are listed here below.
7.2.1 To raise awareness:
1. Actions should be taken to raise the profile of the car club concept among the general public. The prime means of achieving this would be to seek media coverage by:
- distribution of professional-quality publicity material to selected journals, newspapers, lifestyle magazines, TV and radio programmes;
- ministerial attendance at a high-profile (re)launch of a car club (this could be linked with adoption of a flagship scheme
- see below);
- seeking to have the concept included in the storyline for a TV or radio soap opera.
2. DTLR should give immediate consideration to adopting one or more car clubs with a view to its promotion as a high profile flagship scheme to demonstrate the concept in a UK context.
3. The designation of an official symbol, logo or pictogram for car club parking points and inclusion of the same within the Highway Code should be considered and car clubs be encouraged to display any such logo prominently on their vehicles.
4. Actions should be taken to raise the profile of the car club concept among local authorities:
- the visibility of car clubs within government documents should be raised. DTLR should consider adding suitable words to the next versions of PPG13, PPG3 and to the guidance notes for the preparation of funding bids, Regional and Local Transport Plans, Travel awareness strategies, Green Travel Plans, Homezones, Controlled Parking Zones and Air Quality Management areas. Transport for London and the Regional Assemblies should be encouraged to mention car clubs in their relevant documents for use by their constituent authorities.
- Local authorities should be encouraged to include reference to car clubs in local design guides and Supplementary Planning Guidance notes - perhaps including a requirement for serious consideration to be given to the establishment of car clubs in all new developments over a certain size.
- A ministerial statement should be made indicating government support for the car club concept in the context of sustainable urban mobility.
- DTLR should consider inviting local authority opinion leaders to an event, hosted at ministerial level, at which the contribution of car clubs to the achievement of transport planning is emphasised.
5. Particular action is needed to raise the profile of the car club concept among public transport operators. We suggest that a key means of achieving this could be to invite senior people from the industry to an event, hosted at ministerial level, at which the contribution of car clubs to increased use of public transport is emphasised.
6. We recommend that the term "car sharing" should not be used in official documents or publicity material to refer to car clubs.
7.2.2 To achieve political support:
7. Independent research should be undertaken to establish the robustness of the European evidence and to seek reliable evidence from the existing UK schemes. Given that existing UK data is likely to prove inconclusive we further recommend that a robust monitoring programme be devised and that its implementation should be a condition of government support for car clubs.
8. Government literature on car clubs should emphasise that car clubs are most likely to reduce traffic levels if they can attract former car owners.
9. Thought should be given to the possibility and consequences of targeting financial support towards financially disadvantaged members of car clubs via reduced subscriptions.
7.2.3 To secure funding to support car clubs during their early years:
10. DTLR should consider how best to facilitate LTP/LIP related bids for funds to support car clubs and, more generally, to consider how funds intended for such initiatives can be protected within a overall allocation.
11. A report should be commissioned to explore the funding mechanisms available and to produce guidance for local authorities on how and where to seek funding.
12. Further investigations should be conducted to explore what level of contributions might realistically be expected from developers of different types of scheme in different circumstances.
13. The scope and limitations of Section 106 agreements and the tariff approach should be further explored as a means of securing developer support for car clubs.
14. The benefits to the local authority of corporate membership should be quantified and, if the case is convincing, the results should be circulated to local authority departments responsible for procurement and finance.
7.2.4 To provide guidance on practical issues:
15. We recommend that the production of guidance for local authorities should be given priority and that, when available, it should be launched with appropriate publicity and an executive summary suitable for elected members. The guide should cover the following aspects:
- Evidence of impacts (traffic, parking, accessibility)
- Sources of funding (special government grants and funds, LTP grants, Section 106 agreements, European funds, charitable grants)
- Incorporation into the Local Transport Plan and strategy documents (with advice and examples highlighting the relationship with other elements such as parking policy, CPZ implementation, Road user charging, Workplace parking levies, Planning policy, PPG13, PPG3, Green Travel Plans, Travel Awareness)
- Co-operation with property developers
- Co-operation with public transport operators
- Technology options
- Selection of a club operator
- Use of criteria to identify schemes worthy of public support. Such criteria, which would define, and help to promulgate, good practice, might cover aspects such as inter-operability, financial soundness, insurance and maintenance of vehicles, quality of service, access by disadvantaged groups and arrangements for usage monitoring
- Monitoring of impacts.
16. We recommend that training courses should be provided for local authority personnel interested in promoting car clubs and that these courses should be endorsed by DTLR in its advice on sustainable transport and land use planning.
17. We recommend that DTLR should include mention of the role of car clubs in its guidance on the preparation of LTPs, RPG, SPG, and in the next revision of relevant PPGs.
18. We recommend that contacts be made to establish whether the role of the Dutch organisation, Stichting van Gedeeld Autogebruik, goes beyond that played by CarPlus in the UK, and if so, to consider what might be learned from the Dutch model.
7.3 The Potential Role of Car Sharing and Car Clubs within Socially Disadvantaged Groups
It is clear that car clubs and car sharing may have a role to play in the provision of accessibility to some disadvantaged groups and that this may lead to cost savings. We conclude that particular potential exists for:
- Agencies who provide transport services to join forces to make more efficient use of their vehicles (adapted and otherwise) within a car club;
- Agencies to join forces to develop a car sharing database for use by clients and others in their locality (perhaps as part of wider brokerage service);
- Agencies to sponsor suitable clients to join existing car clubs;
- Residents of social housing within new city centre housing schemes could be included within new car clubs established on those sites;
- Innovative re-direction of existing funds (e.g. of Motability grants to support adaptation of car club vehicles);
- Small scale local initiatives.
It is also clear that significant barriers exist to prevent car clubs and car sharing playing a significant role in the provision of accessibility to some disadvantaged groups. We conclude that the most immediate barriers are:
- Lack of understanding of the car club concept;
- Lack of reliable data on the relative costs of provision by different means;
- Institutional inertia (fed by professional jealousy, lack of time to consider new modes of provision, lack of understanding of the concept of car clubs and a belief that, since the concept would not be appropriate for all clients, it is not worth considering);
- A concern not to further erode the market for conventional public transport;
- The fact that some clients would require delivery/pick-up arrangements;
- The fact that some clients would require specially adapted vehicles;
- The difficulties likely to be experienced when attempting to introduce a car club within a deprived community (difficulty posed by annual fee, lack of commitment within the community, vandalism, insurance problems.);
- Concern among some car club organisers as to the possible negative effect on their brand image.
We have made recommended eight actions and have proposed six research projects to help overcome these barriers and realise the potential. Briefly, they are:
1. Establishment of an interdepartmental team.
2. Production of publicity material to familiarise the provider communities with the concepts of car clubs and car sharing.
3. As a second stage, and pending completion of the necessary research, production and distribution of more detailed information and advice for the provider communities.
4. Provision of a training course, based on this material, for personnel in the provider communities.
5. Actions to raise the profile of the car club concept among the general public.
6. Encouragement of developers of high density low-car housing projects which incorporate social housing to establish car clubs within their developments.
7. Establishment of demonstration schemes to cover a range of issues.
8. Encouragement of existing car clubs to approach providers of services to disadvantaged groups with a view to their becoming corporate members of the club (with grant aid to assist extension of the vehicle fleet to include a appropriate vehicles).
9. Further research on the costs of alternative models of provision. Access to detailed accounts of provider organisations will be required.
10. Research to characterise, identify and quantify clients' precise needs.
11. Attitudinal research to establish what value the clients put on different services and how they might react to different models of provision.
12. Exploration, with car club organisers, of whether and how the profile of membership fees might be made more attractive to people on low incomes.
13. Exploration and resolution of the potential conflict between the image of car clubs which some car club organisers wish to promote and the use of car clubs by disadvantaged groups.
14. Research to further develop and evaluate the models of provision (nine are identified as being particularly worthy of consideration).
7.4 The role of Internet Matching Services
Following a review of currently available Internet matching sites and a discussion of their potential role, the results of surveys and discussions among suppliers and potential users are presented and analysed. The following conclusions are drawn:
- Although car sharing of the type that can be facilitated by Internet matching sites can bring benefits to participants, its net impact on the transport system may not be positive.
- The most obviously beneficial role of liftsharing, from a government point of view, is that it may offer a cheap way of providing a level of accessibility to some non-car owners. However, many of the potential beneficiaries are not readily able to use the Internet.
- Although there are a large number of Internet matching sites available, the level of usage is generally very low. Most sites do not have a large enough user base to allow them to offer users a good prospect of a successful match.
- The number of sites to choose from, and the out-of-date information on some of them, is a deterrent to potential users.
- Concerns about personal security, common to all forms of liftsharing are, for some people, compounded by the anonymity of the Internet and/or concerns about data security.
- Internet matching sites can and do offer a useful service in matching people travelling to special events. This role could usefully be expanded.
- Matching may be more successful if it is based on Intranet and groupspecific sites linked to other sites than through a single site for everyone.
- Internet matching sites could usefully be linked with more general transport brokerage services.
Fifteen separate proposals are made for actions or research designed to help overcome some of the existing barriers to the success of Internet matching sites and thereby realise more of their potential. They fall under the following headings:
- Selection of one or more Internet matching services for Government support
- Support for selected sites
- Promotion of the use of localised matching services
- General support for car sharing
- Ensuring wider access to Internet matching services
- Promotion of Internet Matching for Car Sharing to Special Events
- Associated research