Nibbling away at the problem of traffic congestion in one of Virginia’s most densely populated localities, Seattle-based Flexcar and Cambridge, Mass.-based Zipcar have increased their commitment to their car-sharing partnerships with Arlington County. Since the county began the program with the two companies last March, reports the Washington Business Journal, Flexcar and Zipcar have seen a combined 150 percent increase in usage and membership that more than doubled.
The two firms have added a total of 15 additional vehicles, bringing to 40 the total parked at designated locations in the Ballston-Rosslyn corridor, Crystal City and Pentagon City. They plan to add another 15 vehicles in the county before the end of the year.
Pilot project survey results, corroborated with evidence from studies in North America and Europe, show that carsharing: has allowed members to reduce their car ownership; encourages more transit trips; reduces the number of cars on the road; reduces the number of vehicle miles traveled; and provides for a much more efficient use of parking spaces.
Shared car programs like Arlington’s won’t “solve” Virginia’s increasing traffic congestion. There is no single solution. Public policy must encourage a wide variety of solutions–often by partnering, as Arlington has done, with wild-eyed entrepreneurs with crazy ideas. It would be encouraging if Sen. Chichester’s transportation task force–manned primarily by Republicans, members of the business community and others who profess to believe in free markets–chose to solicit innovative ideas from the private sector.