The quality of residential neighbourhoods strongly influences people’s quality of life. Whilst private cars provide the convenience of on-demand mobility, traffic and parked cars often blight local living environments. This can be tackled by offering attractive facilities for walking and cycling and good public transport. A car club can provide a vital part of this transport mix.

City living developers are increasingly being asked to ensure that new developments minimise their reliance on private cars. The economic and lifestyle benefits of car clubs mesh well with the desire for a carefree existence in high density residential areas with convenient access to facilities and mobility. Car clubs can either be set up in new developments or ‘retro fitted’ into existing neighbourhoods.

Car clubs can flourish on established residential streets. Communities benefit from having vehicles available when they need them, but there are fewer private cars cluttering up valuable space due to many people willingly giving up their car or second car upon joining the club.

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Benefits to Housing Developers

Making car clubs work

Aspects to consider when setting up a club

Roles of key stakeholders

 

Different circumstances in which car clubs can flourish

Car clubs can be set up in different residential settings and as a result of different types of partnership. Some of these are outlined below:  

In established neighbourhoods

• High density neighbourhoods such as terraced streets and areas with flats or tenements are prime areas for car club success
• Car clubs have also been shown to work well in other settings such as market towns  

In a new residential development

• In areas with an existing operational car club, the developer can “plug in” to the existing club for new residents to begin using as they move in.
• In an area without a car club, the development may be the seed of a much larger car club, membership of which could be opened up to the local community.

When an area is undergoing regeneration

• A homezone is an area where the street design favours pedestrians and cyclists, rather than motorists. In the Dings area of Bristol the operator CityCarClub introduced club cars into a homezone. Having a car club in a residential street can be of massive benefit to the local community.  

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Benefits to housing developers

• A car club can unlock the potential of sites which have been neglected due to a lack of suitable parking. Local authorities often site lack of parking as a reason to refuse planning permission, commitment to a car club from developers using Section 106 agreements can negate this argument. By reducing or eliminating the need for onsite parking many new developments are possible.  

• A car club can unlock the potential of sites which have been neglected due to a lack of suitable parking. Local authorities often site lack of parking as a reason to refuse planning permission, commitment to a car club from developers using Section 106 agreements can negate this argument. By reducing or eliminating the need for onsite parking many new developments are possible.  

• Land not needed for parking can be made use of for alternative development (green space, play areas or extra units).  These small areas can make a vast increase in the desirability of the units and can be marketed as more attractive living space and a higher quality of life.

• Car clubs offer residents an attractive service that brings added value to the housing. This can be used as a selling point for developers marketing new residential developments.

• A car club can provide a key component of a residential travel plan and can help reduce car trips generated by the development. This not only serves to create a less traffic-congested environment within the development, but will also reduce the number of vehicles on surrounding streets.

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 Making car clubs work

 Car clubs work most effectively under the following conditions:

High density of residents

• Medium to high density of residents - means there are instantly enough people to establish the club with sufficient members, so it will become viable as soon as possible. It seems that 20-25 members per car means that the cars are used sufficiently for the club to be financially viable, while the users still have free access to the cars when they want them. 250 units is accepted to be the minimum necessary for a stand-alone club.  

Parking restrictions

• Parking pressures will increase the percentage of residents who will join.  Tightened parking ratios also free up valuable land space for alternative uses such as further housing or attractive green space. Controlling parking nearby will help to prevent overspill parking problems on nearby streets.  

Attractive public transport

Attractive and viable alternative transport is essential to counteract the perceived ‘need’ for a private car.  If residents can make their daily journeys, including commuting, by public transport, cycling or walking, then their need for a car to make other journeys can easily be met by a car club. A car club will be most effective where these other issues are also addressed as part of a travelplan.

Planned from the outset

The car club should ideally be designed-in to residential developments from the outset. As the units are sold, the club should be included in any marketing literature and the idea explained to potential residents at an early stage,. Free introductory membership of the club is useful to draw people in. The car club should be established as a vital part of the package, seen as an asset not a weakness in the project.  The developer and the planning authority must understand the concept and be fully supportive from the earliest possible stage. This will ensure the smooth development and success of the scheme. People find it much easier to change their travel  habits at the same time as making other lifestyle changes, such as moving home or job.

   Good service

• Any car club must be efficiently administered and contactable 24 hours a day, 7 days a week in case issues arise. The club might be run by a dedicated co-ordinator or remotely by an existing commercial operator.  The club might coexist with a steering group of interested parties but the daily operation should not be a burden on the developers or local authorities involved.

 Public transport integration

• Crucial to the scheme are effective partnerships with transport operators and local authorities (in rural areas the local authorities’ public transport department will need to be approached). Public Transport Executives and operators can offer support in many ways (ticketing offers through mutually beneficial collaboration with public transport, marketing etc) and Executives will benefit from proven higher than average use of public transport by members.  Local authorities can offer, for example, assistance with acquiring on street parking, gaining political support for a project.  The earlier these partnerships can be established the better, and full advantage should be taken of mutually beneficial working.

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 Aspects to consider when setting up a club:

 

Hurdles

Residential areas with car clubs are a relatively new phenomenon and can generate scepticism from some people who have no prior experience of them.  The following represent the common myths:

‘Units in the development will not sell because potential buyers will be put off by the lack of parking.’ 

The car club must be marketed as an asset not a liability, it is an extra service which will add to saleability if offered as a mobility option and lifestyle choice. Proximity to public transport and other travel options should be emphasised and limited visitor parking may be provided.

‘Surely no one will live car free?

Being a member of a car club is very different to living car free. A vehicle will be available whenever you need it – for transporting bulky goods or to visit friends where no public transport is available. It will be easier than car ownership as insurance, repairs and maintenance are all taken care of by the club operator. Not owning a car can bring about an immense sense of freedom.

‘Reducing parking will mean that people will just park on the surrounding streets’

Controlled parking zones (CPZs) can be used effectively to eliminate use of on-street parking in surrounding areas, as seen in the London Borough of Camden where virtually the whole borough is a CPZ.  Other measures include having a car free commitment included in sale or tenancy agreements

‘It just won’t work’

Car clubs have operated successfully in Europe for many years and are now well-established both here and in North America . It is estimated that there are currently a quarter of a million car club users worldwide, spread across 17 countries. Here in the UK, there are now several thousand car club users, with this figure doubling year on year and predicted to rise to over a million users by 2015 (Source: Carplus).

The future looks bright for car clubs. In the second round of Local Transport Plans, car clubs were referred to by almost 50% of local authorities in their commitment for the next five years (2006-11) which should lead to car clubs being included in many future developments. 

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Roles of key stakeholders

The following are ways in which the various partners can work together to implement a car club:

Local Authority

Obtaining support from a local authority is key, preferably with strong commitment from all levels. A specific mention of car clubs in the Local Transport Plan  will help secure funding for the club. Almost 50% of the second round of Local Transport Plans made specific mention of support for car clubs.

Developer

If developers are committed to implementing a car club in a residential development from the outset, the chances of it’s success are vastly improved. One way in which developers can support car clubs is by sanctioning a Section 106 agreement. This consists of a planning agreement between the developer and the local authority to ensure that the provision of car club facilities become an integral part of a facility. It could include up-front costs, for example the provision of signed parking bays.

In addition to Section 106, other measures of support could include free or discounted car club membership for all residents for the first year. This will encourage rapid take-up of membership among residents and will ensure popularity of the club. Another measure could be the design of allocated parking bays for car club cars, in close proximity to residences in comparison with any other parking.

Car club operator

Existing operators possess a great deal of experience of launching successful car clubs in a variety of settings. This expertise will be especially vital at the planning and launch stages. Operators will be able to help establish the viability and likely size of a club as well as leading on the recruitment of members and marketing campaigns. They will be in a position to decide whether public or private funding is needed to ensure success and options for this can then be pursued.