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I sat in on last evening's very interesting Monona Transit Commission. Chair Chad Speight is doing yeoman's work to get the conversation started on how we improve our rather limited public transit system. It was co-chair Bob Miller, however, who invited the Community Car company to make a presentation.
The basic idea is 'car sharing':
Q: What is carsharing?The goal is for members to save money and reduce their environmental footprint. Save significant cash
Just like it sounds, carsharing is a member-based, “time-share” car service. Members use vehicles when they want to, and pay for the service based on how much they drive. Carsharing provides a way to reduce the number of cars in an urban area and supports a practical shift towards sustainable mobility and away from automobile dependency. Carsharing began in Switzerland in the mid-1980’s and came to the United States in 1998 in Portland, OR. In the U.S. today there are more than 25,000 members of over 20 carsharing organizations nationwide.
Community Car has 17 cars - all in Madison right now with about 950 members. They are interested in expanding beyond the Isthmus and feel like Monona would be a good fit. Their business model presently requires them to get 'sponsors' at $42,000 spread over three years ($24,000, $12,000, and $6,000). Sponsors could be the city, a corporation, individuals or some combination.
Is right for Monona? Is Monona right for it? Will it work with our transit system?
The Transit Commission has started this conversation and plans to continue it. There are currently six Monona members of Community Car - it would be interesting to hear their experiences.
Check out: The Real Costs of Car Ownership
Did you guys get the idea from the school district?
ReplyDeleteI don't know-
I am hard pressed to like this idea-when we have an aging infrastructure that needs to updated and worked-out.
If you go ahead with it-I suggest some kind of extended warranty to cover the crater like pot holes that are going to open up on monona drive in Jan.
The former mayor was right-gravel it!
Wow - the naysaying negative nabob speaks. Cynicism is corrosive - heaping abuse on people for even considering a new idea is bad for a community's future.
ReplyDeleteFor those people who might actually be interested in how the program works, go to the community car web site.
I am not being a naysayer.
ReplyDeleteI would rather have decent picnic tables, updated play equipment, socceer fields that do not have major holes in them, a funded senior center, sidewalks on major streets...want me to go on?....then a community car.
IF you want to look at the comment about Monona Drive as a naysayer who does not want to wait till 2012 or whatever....yea well then OK.
Perhaps it was the way you stated your comments, starting with the snarky comment about the school district and ending with the 'gravel it' wisecrack.
ReplyDeleteAt this point, it is a discussion about an idea. I don't know that it will make sense to put any city money into it; more than likely not. I was probably as skeptical as anyone at the meeting. BUT, even if we don't put city money in it, this could still be a good idea for our community and we could play a role getting it started.
As for playgounds and roads, first of all, we in fact are making investments in those areas. The capital budget has funds in each year of the five-year plan for new playground equipment and fall-zone material. We are spending a million plus per year on roads. And you won't find a bigger proponent of sidewalks than me (well, maybe Chad). It was my amendment that got the sidewalk installed on Healy last year.
Monona Drive is a federal project. First phase is split between 2009 and 2010. Phases Two and Three follow in later years. If you know of a way to speed up the federal-aid highway process, please let us know. Federal money will fund around 50% of the project. Local share in Phases 2and 3 will be split with madison and a little Dane County. I have been pushing to get the design engineer hired for phase 2. This stuff just simply does not happen just because we want it to. It takes time and concerted sustained effort.
I think we can spend a little time talking about a new idea along the way.
I think it's great if you people want to organize a community car. However, not one dime from the city and not one minute wasted debating the issue at city council.
ReplyDeleteAs far as sponsorship, maybe you could ask Tulley's.
(Sarcasm intended)
"You people"? Gee, thanks for giving us permission to talk about something, but apparently not to do anything. You will not allow the council to 'waste one minute' on the community car?!
ReplyDeleteThere is a fascist impulse in this kind of thinking that refuses to engage on the merits of an idea and demands obedience from others.