By Jane Gates
Car sharing — it’s a simple, environmentally friendly idea, but so far Ottawa drivers don’t seem to be catching on.
That’s something Chris Bradshaw would like to see changed. Bradshaw, a retired regional government employee, has been promoting the concept of car sharing in the capital for a number of years.
“Some people have actually described car sharing as ‘you-drive’ taxis,” says Bradshaw with a chuckle. “It allows you to get access to a car only in the time you’re driving it, and greatly reduces the parking requirements.”
The concept is simple. When people join a car-sharing organization, they pay a membership fee — usually about $500 — which gives them the right to borrow cars owned by the organization for a short time. Then users pay per use, based on the mileage and time involved. There may also be an annual fee to cover administration and booking costs.
The cars are usually located in a lot convenient to most members. The organization fills the cars with gas and cleans them.
One vehicle is generally purchased for every five to seven people, and there may be a range of vehicle types for different needs.
The idea of car sharing started in Europe, where over 500,000 people now share automobiles. While there are organizations in Vancouver, Victoria, Guelph, Toronto, Quebec City, and Montreal, the idea has yet to take hold in Ottawa.
Bradshaw says he met with interested Ottawa residents back in 1994, but quickly realized they lived too far apart, and needed a car only on weekends.
“We basically agreed that we didn’t have the base yet for it,” says Bradshaw. But he says he remains optimistic that car sharing could be started in Centretown or the Glebe.
He says it’s an idea businessmen should consider too; sharing cars for business errands opens up more parking spaces for customers.
The key, says Bradshaw, is planning your use of the car in advance.
Patrick Chen, a planning consultant, agrees. He says he has an informal car-sharing arrangement with a neighbour, but doesn’t use the car unless he has at least four errands to run.
Chen grew up in Jamaica, where he says riding a bike all the time taught him to conserve his use of automobiles.
He points out the average car trip in Ottawa is just 1.4 kilometres, and many car trips are unnecessary.
This is something Bradshaw says also bothers him.
“Of all the trips we make a very small per cent are really ideally suited to a car. So you end up buying the car and using it for a lot of trips . . . just to get your money’s worth.”
Somerset Coun. Elisabeth Arnold says car sharing is a good idea which could work in Centretown, and would help to reduce people’s expenses.
But she says people need to change their mindset about the car.
“I think we’re pretty conditioned to depend on cars, and everything around us reinforces that,” says Arnold.
The car is also a status symbol, says Chen, adding that he thinks the concept of sharing is still a stigma to a lot of Canadians.
But he says car sharing will ultimately come to Ottawa, once people adapt to the idea of planning their car use.