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If
so, then maybe you don't know anyone who takes the same journey
as you.
Or maybe you aren't aware of all the
benefits of car-sharing.
Although
the main advantages are obviously environmental, you can save
yourself considerable amounts of money.
If
you share a five-mile journey once a week for a whole year
you will see savings of about £200.
Website
There
are obvious benefits you can take advantage of, and this is
where a website run for the South Gloucestershire business
community could help.
2carshare.com
allows members to search a huge database and find out if there
is a potential lift-share on your route.
At
the moment just under 500 people and 400 journeys are registered
on the system.
Kath
Clark, Travel Plan Co-ordinator of the council said the website
is particularly well used by organisations based in Aztec
West:
North
fringe
"The
idea came out of the Green Commuter Club, which consists of
most of those organisations," she said.
"We
have a real good attendance from the north fringe employers
who want to make a difference to the traffic problems within
that area."
With
support from employers in the north of Bristol, the council
set about getting the website in place.
National
company Liftshare was awarded the contract to produce the
website, which launched in full over Christmas 2001.
"Liftshare
is a national car-sharing institution and they provided us
with a re-branded, localised version which is sponsored by
18 companies," said Kath.
The
current database boasts membership not just from the city,
but also from as far afield as Cheltenham, Gloucester, Wales
and Somerset.
Spreading
the word
Now
the website is well and truly off the ground, Kath explained
that they want to start spreading the word about the advantages
of car-sharing.
"We
do a "green travel roadshow" where we visit companies
to promote cycling, car-sharing and promote bus usage."
"The
scheme is aimed purely at commuters. The message is, if you
car-share for one journey out of 10 you are reducing the traffic
by 10%, which is similar to the school holidays when it is
a lot quieter and is a lot easier to get around.
"Its
not a five-day commitment, you don't have to change your work
patterns or lifestyle."
Road
signs
She
added that the council was also trying to advertise the site
to commuters.
"We
have taken a few approaches to advertising. One is to actually
advertise on certain sections of the road like on the A38
and now we're advertising it on the ring-roads.
"If
you're stuck in the traffic in the non-HOV (high-occupancy
vehicle) lane and you're crawling along, you see the sign
and they can see how you can take advantage of the 2+ lane.
"Moving
those signs around to the congested points on major roads
we do see membership grow."
The
impact the site has had already shows the scheme is beginning
to work.
From
March to August 2002 there were 340 members, with a high potential
for a match.
The
more people that join and register on the site, the more chance
you will find someone to share with.
The
benefits extend beyond traffic reduction.
Lower
CO2 emissions, and saving cash are two more excellent reasons
to sign up to this initiative.
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