Decongesting Britain
New data reaffirms car clubs' role in cutting cars on UK roads
Car club members in the UK play a key role in reducing congestion, parking problems and carbon emissions according to a report published by TRL (Transport Research Laboratory) this week.
The latest and largest survey of car club members in the UK, commissioned by the national transport charity Carplus, compared the travel behaviour of members before and after joining a car club. This was then evaluated alongside national travel data by TRL to reveal that car club members have significantly lower levels of car ownership and car use than average members of the public.
Highlights:
• A reduction in cars: Each car club vehicle replaced 23 cars on average[1]. Scaled up, this suggested that, by December 2008, over 40,000 vehicles had been taken off UK roads.
• Fewer car journeys: Members are considerably less likely to make journeys by car than non-members, opting instead to walk, cycle or use public transport[2]
• Lower emissions: The average car club vehicle is around 35% more efficient than the average private vehicle.
Commenting on the results, Antonia Roberts, Director of Carplus, said:
"This fresh evidence highlights the value of investing in car clubs. Providing people with an alternative to traditional car ownership is essential to supporting active, integrated and sustainable travel, and car clubs not only provide this alternative but help to secure positive changes in the long term".
[1] For every car club vehicle on the road, on average, members had got rid of 14 cars, and a further 9 had not been purchased.
[2] An average person takes 66% of their journeys by private vehicle, compared to 16-23% taken by car club members.
