GoCar has today welcomed the Department Of Housing’s inclusion of car-sharing schemes as part of the solution to delivering sustainable car-free developments. With Housing Minister Eoghan Murphy identifying a removal of the need for parking in today’s new draft guidelines around apartment developments, GoCar has highlighted the importance of now integrating car-sharing into any sustainable transport plans for future apartment complexes with minimal underground parking.
Car-sharing will play central role in delivering sustainable car-free developments
The report identifies that in car-free developments “it is important that access to a car sharing club or other non-car based modes of transport are available and/or can be provided to meet the needs of residents”. By allowing multiple people to use the same vehicle at different times, car-sharing reduces car ownership & car dependency, and reduces the need for parking in Irish cities.
An individual underground parking space can cost anywhere from €25,000 – €100,000 each to build – an expense which is fast becoming unsustainable for developers and management companies. In other European cities, including car-sharing schemes at the planning stage has allowed planners and developers to reduce the level of parking per unit and the need for basement parking, therefore bringing down construction costs, purchase price and rent levels.
Unbundling separates parking costs from rents or housing sale prices, and ensures that non-car owners do not pay for parking they neither want nor need. Unbundling residential parking costs from the cost of housing can significantly reduce household vehicle ownership and parking demand.
Similar schemes have helped with the move to parking-less developments in London and other European cities, and continues to be a growing trend. In a recent survey of GoCar members, over 50% said they would buy a car if GoCar did not exist, showing that car-sharing has a proven track record of reducing congestion and emissions while delivering value to customers. With ‘parking-less’ developments coming down the line, the move from private car ownership to multimodal transport is becoming increasingly important.
GoCar Managing Director Colm Brady said “GoCar welcomes the inclusion of car-sharing in the Department Of Housing’s Draft Guidelines. We are keen to be part of the solution to creating sustainable parking-less developments in Ireland, and have already engaged on a number of developments in which car-sharing has been used to offer sustainable transport options. With this in mind, we’re highlighting that car-sharing is just one part of the solution in creating sustainable transport in the city and encouraging people to move from car ownership to using multi-modal mobility.”