19 March 2009
Car Clubs summit to set out practical alternatives to the expense of car ownership
The City of Edinburgh Council and Transform Scotland Trust are today (Thursday 19th) holding a conference in Edinburgh's City Chambers to mark the 10th anniversary of the establishment in Edinburgh of Britain's first commercial car club, and to look ahead at opportunities for innovation in the transport sector over the next decade. [1]
Stephen Stradling [2], Chair of the Transform Scotland Trust [3], and Professor of Transport Psychology at Edinburgh Napier University's Transport Research Institute, said:
"Car clubs give people access to a car whenever they need it, but without the high fixed costs of individual car ownership. They have proven popular in Europe and North America, and we would like to see their widespread adoption across Scotland in both cities and rural areas.
"Relatively small individual changes can, cumulatively, make big differences, and recent research shows that many car users in Scotland are ready to cut their car use. Car users require practical support, help and advice on how to make the move away from car reliance in as easy and painless a way as possible. In a time of credit crunch and coming climate chaos, car clubs can play an important role in helping drivers save both pocket and planet."
Cllr Phil Wheeler, Convener of the Transport, Infrastructure & Environment Committee at The City of Edinburgh Council, said: [4]
"Edinburgh has a number of initiatives that make it distinctive in transport and land use planning. Its high levels of cycling and the introduction of a new tram network will complement a well supported bus network. The city car club, which has grown steadily over the past 10 years, is another part of the portfolio that is finally being recognized as an important alternative to car ownership." [5]
Dr Jillian Anable, from the UK Energy Research Centre and Aberdeen University's Centre for Transport Research, said: [6]
"Car clubs have the potential to be one of the single most powerful tools at our disposal to facilitate a fundamental shift in the way cars are owned and used in our society. In order to foster sustainable travel patterns, the link between car ownership and use must be broken. Car clubs enable this to happen by offering a different model of car ownership which both encourages the use of alternative options whilst also signalling that car use can still be an appropriate and acceptable choice.
"On average, a UK car club member uses cars for a third of the number of trips of non-members, walk and cycle almost twice as much and use public transport three times more. Car clubs also facilitate technological developments in the area of telematics, smart cards and low carbon vehicles and when this is combined with the potential to fundamentally alter lifestyles, car clubs encapsulate everything that a politically acceptable and effective sustainable transport policy needs to achieve."
Transport Minister Stewart Stevenson said: [7]
“Edinburgh City Car Club makes a positive contribution to life in the capital by reducing emissions, cutting congestion, and extending the range of transport choices available to residents.
"This Government has the most ambitious climate change legislation anywhere in the world and we need innovation and alternatives like car clubs if we are to achieve our world leading targets.
“We can all give more thought to the best way for us to get around whether that be walking, cycling, taking the bus, or car sharing. My congratulations go to Edinburgh City Council and the City Car Club for making these first ten years so successful."
ENDS
Notes to Editors
[1] Conference 'Car clubs have arrived!: The role of Car Clubs in planning our towns and cities'
The conference is being organised by the Richard Armitage Transport Consultancy on behalf of sustainable transport charity Transform Scotland Trust and The City of Edinburgh Council. For full details on the conference see <http://www.ratransport.co.uk/carclubconf.html>. The conference has an optional technical tour and a reception at Edinburgh City Chambers on the evening of Wednesday 18th March (at which transport minister Stewart Stevenson MSP is due to speak).
Speakers at the conference include:
* Dr Jillian Anable – on the challenge of carbon reduction in an efficient transport system
* Michael Glotz-Richter, sustainable transport officer at the City State of Bremen – on creating sustainable transport where choice of modes is made easier by good quality, low cost and a single Bremen smartcard
* Cllr Phil Wheeler
* Diane McLafferty, Acting Director, Transport, Scottish Government
* Joachim Schwarz, CEO of Cambio - which operates car clubs in major German cities and in Belgium on the opportunities to make car clubs a mainstream service for both residents and employers
* Bernie Hanning, Managing Director, OyBike Systems Limited - on bike sharing and car clubs working together.
[2] Prof. Stephen Stradling
See <http://www.napier.ac.uk/fhlss/HSS/Staff/Pages/Stephen_Stradling.aspx> for info.
[3] Transform Scotland Trust
The Transform Scotland Trust carries out research and education on sustainable transport.
[4] Cllr. Phil Wheeler / City of Edinburgh Council
See <http://www.edinburgh.gov.uk/internet/council/council_business/councillor_database/councillors/a06_cllr_phil_wheeler_(lbd)> for info on Cllr. Wheeler.
The City of Edinburgh Council are hosting the conference.
[5] City Car Club
City Car Club, the operator of the Edinburgh car club, has been pioneering the local development since 2002 - part of 60,000 strong car club UK membership. See <http://www.citycarclub.co.uk/> for further details.
[6] Dr. Jillian Anable
See <http://www.ukerc.ac.uk/ResearchProgrammes/DemandReduction/ThemeMembers/Memberanable.aspx> for info.
[7] Scottish Government Minister for Transport, Infrastructure and Climate Change Stewart Stevenson MSP
See <http://www.scotland.gov.uk/About/14944/Scottish-Cabinet/stewartstevensonmsp> for info.
END OF NEWS RELEASE