Cities Encourage Car-Sharing

Cities see clear benefits of car-sharing programs like Zipcar, such as taking vehicles off the road to reduce congestion and eliminating the number of parking spaces needed in new developments. An IBI Group study conducted in March found that a 250-unit building in Toronto with 16 parking spaces dedicated to car-sharing vehicles could eliminate 47 parking spaces.

Some fret that a rise in the popularity of car-sharing indicates trouble for automakers. According to a 2003 survey, two-thirds of the members of San Francisco’s City CarShare program deferred new-car purchases.

Outside this scant evidence, though, no major study has shown that car-sharing is eating up automakers’ business. It’s more likely that people who choose not to own cars are simply using the service from time to time as a convenience, rather than it being a full-fledged revolt by car buyers.

Perhaps the next few years will bring evidence to the contrary, but that remains to be seen.

More Cities Encouraging Car-Sharing (New York Times)