Richmond Park and Twickenham MPs Back 'Car Clubs'

10.21.00am UTC (GMT +0000) Tue 27th Feb 2007

MPs Vincent Cable and Susan Kramer joined Councillor Shas Sheehan at the launch of a new initiative to promote car sharing via 'car clubs'. Car clubs, of which there are now 4 in the Borough, offer a form of highly flexible car hire. Members pay a refundable deposit (£150) and then take the car for around £5 an hour from the pool. 'Car clubs' are becoming increasingly popular in the US and elsewhere in Europe as a way of economising on car use.

Vincent Cable said: "If we are to move to more sustainable forms of transport there have to be good, positive initiatives which reflect motorists' requirements: carrots as well as sticks. If people knew that they could access a car quickly and easily there would be far lower demand for second cars and some people would dispense with vehicles altogether if they know that one was available when they really needed it. This is one respect in which the UK is lagging behind other western countries."