By Kim Powell

In July 2005 the City of Yarra in Victoria became the first council in Australia to sign up to a community-based car share scheme, in line with the council’s policy of minimising their car fleet, and the trial has been so successful they are looking to extend it from two town halls to other council buildings.

At the time of the announcement, City of Yarra CEO Lydia Wilson said the car sharing option was ideal for staff as public transport did not connect the municipality’s three town halls easily and it was not always practical to ride a bike.

Twelve months later, 11 staff at Fitzroy Town Hall and two at Richmond Town Hall are regular users of the car share program, with all staff participating to a greater or lesser degree. The council is currently looking to establish a car sharing space near the Collingwood Town Hall so all three town halls can take advantage of the scheme.

Mayor Jackie Fristacky says the council was approached by two car-share companies, Car Flo and GoGet, and ended up using both.

“We have a keen interest in sustainable transport and minimising our car fleet, so it was thought an appropriate policy decision to go through car-sharing where a vehicle would be shared,” she says.

“We believed it was worthwhile being part of the car share scheme and having a car prominently displayed on the street and easily found by our staff, and it has worked extremely well.”

There are different car sharing schemes available: some charge a flat rate per month that also covers the cost of petrol, while others charge users by the hour. Either way, people who sign up to these schemes get all the benefits of a car without the hassles of insurance, parking permits and maintenance. The cars are parked in specific locations and members book online or over the phone when they want to use a car.

Cr Fristacky says the council has also raised the idea with several developers as something they should consider when developing apartments in the area.

Other initiatives for sustainable travel that the council has implemented include having public transport vouchers available for staff members, she says.

“Rather than use a car or taxi, there’s a tram stop right outside so people can get a tram voucher, either a two-hour one or an all day one depending on how long their meeting goes. We also have bicycles,” Cr Fristacky says .

“A lot of staff now cycle between the town halls, it gives them some physical fitness and we can get there just as quickly as driving but with less hassle.”

The City of Yarra owns eight bikes that staff can use and the council also contributes towards the membership of Bike Assist, the Royal Automobile Club of Victoria (RACV) roadside assistance for cyclists.

Meanwhile, the City of Sydney Council is providing 20 off-street car spaces (10 in the Domain car park and 10 in the Goulbourn Street car park) for operators of car share schemes, and is working with the Roads and Traffic Authority (RTA) to provide 10 on-street parks in locations in the inner city.

At a meeting in April, the council agreed in principle to allocate two on-street spaces for car-share vehicles in Pyrmont, Ultimo, Surry Hills, Newtown, Glebe and Kings Cross, for a two-year trial.

City of Sydney spokesman Josh Mackenzie says the city currently provides more than 9000 on-street and 1700 off-street parking spaces throughout the local government area, and further improvements to the public transport network will reduce the requirement for car ownership among Sydney visitors and dwellers.