Should Paris create a system to share cars?

Posted by James Kanter
Following the success of a system called Velib’ for sharing bikes, the city of Paris may introduce a system of car-sharing. The system, dubbed Autolib’, is in early stages of planning but already is raising thorny questions about how to promote low-carbon urbanism.

Mayor Bertrand Delanoë said in June that from the end of next year, 4,000 electric cars would be placed around Paris and its outskirts for drivers in the program to help themselves for short journeys, according to an article in the The Guardian.

The mayor has said the system could help young families that cannot afford a car gain access to road transport when they need it. The city would set up several hundred Autolib’ pick-up points, some underground to save space.

But some Green Party politicians in Paris have warned that any new system should actually reduce overall car use, according to a report by The Associated Press. These politicians want to require users to return shared cars to the lots from which they were rented – to ensure they are only used in exceptional circumstances.

Without such rules, the environmentalists say, the move could be a step backward because it would produce more traffic and dependence on cars in an already congested city. The city also might have to use hybrid cars if it cannot obtain a sufficient number of electric cars, the AP said.

Do you think making it as easy to rent a car as to rent a bike would be an enticement to driving? Or would such a system encourage fewer people to buy cars and lead to a reduction of overall emissions?