Car sharing in the Triangle

[ChiefJoJo]

UNC-CH & now Duke have Zip Car services on campus. Folks are gathering to discuss the possibilities of car sharing in Raleigh in a couple of weeks...

Triangle Transit, in cooperation with

the City of Raleigh and the Downtown Raleigh Alliance,

invite you to join us for an exploratory, interactive discussion about

car-sharing potential in downtown Raleigh.

Thursday, June 18, 2009

1:00 p.m. - 2:30 p.m.

At the Raleigh Urban Design Center

(light refreshments will be served)

*****

We value your insight and request your attendance at this session to:

•Find out more about what car-sharing is

•Brainstorm ideas about car-sharing - your thoughts and needs

•Understand the benefits of a car-sharing program

•Gauge business and residential interest or need for a car-sharing program

•Share other established, downtown car-sharing program reference models

*****

Please RSVP by Friday, June 12 to [email protected] <mailto:[email protected]>

Questions? Please contact Stephanie Loyka-Minker, Triangle Transit

[email protected] <mailto:[email protected]> or 919-485-7463

*****

The Urban Design Center is located on the first floor of the historic Alexander Building,

at 133 Fayetteville Street, at the corner of Fayetteville and Hargett

across from the Wachovia tower in Downtown Raleigh.

Would you use a car sharing service like Zip Car if it were added in downtown Raleigh? DTR is not a very parking constrained location to the degree of the UNC campus, but in coordination with improved mass transit service, it may be a nice alternative to the drive and park working crowd, as they would have access to a car for mid day activities (something people often complain is a detractor to using transit). Also, it might be a good alternative for couples who may live downtown and want to shed an extra car. Who wants to pay an extra $25,000 for a structured parking space?

[Spartan]

I'm all for ZIP car type services, and I think college campuses are uniquely suited to have them. As for the actual city, I'll be impressed if Raleigh can get them outside of NCSU's campus. I say that because I know some entities in Charlotte have been looking into recruiting a zip car service, and they require something like 500 sites to get started. Now having said that, I would assume that they have more than that one criterion for getting this service going. I personally would love to see it come to North Carolina. If I had this service I would seriously consider getting rid of my car.

[Gard]

I would love to see this service come to NC. I think if they took Raleigh's satellite towns, maybe the Triangle as a whole, into account, they could find 500 locations. They could also take into account the fact that this is a rapidly growing area, so demand will only increase for such things.

[sax184]

I would love to see this service come to NC. I think if they took Raleigh's satellite towns, maybe the Triangle as a whole, into account, they could find 500 locations. They could also take into account the fact that this is a rapidly growing area, so demand will only increase for such things.