Alternative transportløsninger i landdristikterne
11 English summary
Alternative Transportsolutions
Through development of new ways of transport the aim of Alternative Transportsolutions is to:
 | Create more and better ways of transport for the inhabitants in rural areas. |
| Create ways of reducing expenses on transport. |
| Reduce transport by car from place of work to private homes and thereby reduce environmental problems caused by transport. |
Selected solutions
A questionaire in August 1997 has demonstrated the opportunities for two alternative solutions: Car Sharing and Car Pooling.
Humlum
Humlum - a village north of Struer - has been chosen as the first village in Denmark where Car Sharing is to be investigated. Humlum has 861 inhabitants.
Local companies
Investigating Car Pooling Alternative Transportsolutions is cooperating with four big compnies in the region: Two private: Bang & Olufsen A/S and Hvidbjerg Vinduet A/S and two public: Muncipality of Struer and Holstebro Hospital.
Car Sharing
Car Sharing idea
Car Sharing is a new idea in Denmark. It has with great success been implemented in many other European countries and the US. Car Sharing means that individuals/families are sharing common cars. In this way the participants share the expenditures and consequently reduce their use of money for transport. Participants can choose among several types of cars, which are no more than three years old. For each purpose the exact size and favorite type can be selected. There is typically one car for each five households. The cars can be picked up close to the members' private homes.
Questionaire
The questionaire in Humlum was realized in August 1997. The aim was to get information about interest and demand for joining a Car Sharing Club in Humlum. Totally 180 persons received a questionaire.
Car Pooling
Car Pooling idea
Car Pooling has been very well organized in a lot of European countries, the US and the Far East. Mostly to and around big cities and metropolitan areas. In Denmark the concept has taken place more by coincidence.
Questionaire
In August 1997, 670 employees at the four companies received a questionaire about their driving-habits and Car Pooling. The questionaire gave Alternative Transportsolutions good information about needs and interests for organizing transport between private homes and place of work.
Advantages
Extra transport services
By joining Car Sharing and / or Car Pooling you can reduce your car expenditures for use of car Both Car Sharing and Car Pooling are extra transport services for the inhabitants in the region. lt functions as a supplement to public transportation and use of private car. lt also gives the persons without a car an extra opportunity for transport.
Environment
Besides it has a positive effect on the environment and makes the trafficsafety on the roads better. Experiences from both Germany and the US indicate that these initiatives mean less transport for the individual.
Questionaire on Car Sharing – results
45% of 180 inhabitants in Humlum returned the questionaire.
Conditions
The interest for the project depends on under which circumstances Car Sharing will operate. These are:
| Practical conditions: access to cars and bookingsystem. |
| Economic conditions: fee for membership and for use of cars. |
Distance
The inhabitants were asked how far from the center (railwaystation, busstop and shops) of Humlum they are living and whether it is an acceptable distance for them to walk or use the bike to the common cars. All persons interested answered that they will accept the maximum distance of 600 meters.
Bookingperiod
The time you have to book the car before using it, might be a problem for realizing the project. Half the persons answering will accept an advance booking of more than 5 hours. A little more than 25% will as a maximwn accept half an hour. You might use the price for using the car as a parameter for regulating this - e.g. it can be a higher price for the weekend, when the car is booked friday afternoon or evening very short time before the peakperiod.
Booking by phone
Most of the participants want to book by telephone.
Purposes of transport
Demand for Car Sharing will primarily meet an occasional need for transport by car. This includes for most users shopping, weekendtours and visiting the family. Each household expects in average to use Car.
Sharing twice a week, and the driving will be concentrated in the weekends.
Market for Car Sharing
28% of the persons answering are interested in having access to Car Sharing. Knowing that it is the most interested inhabitants taking their time to answer the questionaire, it can be expected that 10% of the total population in Humlum will use Car Sharing when it is introduced in 1998. This means 33 households. The basis for starting will be six cars - one for each five households. When Car Sharing is established in Humlum there will probably be basis for gradually expanding the market. The good example is the best way of marketing. This is also the experience from all other countries using Car Sharing.
Questionaire on Car Pooling - results
Interest for Car Pooling
301 persons answered the questionaire - equivalent to about half the population contacted. Among the answers there is 23% interested in Car Pooling. A part of these - the 7% - is practicing Car Pooling allready, but can also be a potential for taking part in a formalized solution with e.g. meetingplaces for Car Pooling. Among the employees at the four firmns contacted it is assumed that half of the persons interested - and not at the present practicing Car Pooling - will do it when it comes to reality in an organized form. This means totally 400-500 persons at Bang & Olufsen A/S, Municipality of Struer, Holstebro Hospital and Hvidbjerg Vinduet A/S .
Meeting and paying
The participants in Car Pooling want to be picked up at their place of living or at the road nearby on the route of the driver. Most people are ready to pay maximum 10 kroner each way.
Meetingplace for Car Pooling
One third of the people being interested in Car Pooling says: »want to have access to public transportation in connection with the meetingplace for Car Pooling«. There is also a demand for accommodation and waitingfacilities at the meetingplace for Car Pooling.
Time and distance
It is accepted by 43% to spend 5 minutes extra and to drive 3 kilometers extra to pick up colleagues.
Recommendations
Car Sharing and Car Pooling must be attractive for the users to be a success.
Transport Office
The plan is in 1998 to establish a Transport Office dealing with coordination of Car Sharing and Car Pooling. The Transport Office must be:
| Centrally situated in the centre of a city or town and very near to a bus- or trainterininal |
| Very accessible to the public - in the central (pedestrian) street of a city or town e.g- in a formner shop. |
| Equipped with meeting- and exhibitionfacilities. |
Transport Coordinator
The Transport Office must be led by an independent serviceminded person - a Transport Coordinator - and the main subjects are:
| To administrate the practical conditions for Car Sharing and Car Pooling. |
| To establish the physical facilities - meetingplaces for Car Pooling and Car Sharing Stations. |
| To transform the experiences to be usable in other places in Denmark. |
| To be a consultant on starting similar projects in other places. |
| To marketed the ideas to current and potentiel users. |
| To be a central place for information on all transportpossibilities and -modes in the region and in the future also for goods. |
The Car Sharing and Car Pooling vision
Households for Car Sharing
Investigating Car Sharing it is expected that 10% of the households in Humlum will take part in the idea. If this can be transfered to all other villages, towns and cities in the county of Ringkøbing then the potential is very big. In 1996 there are totally about 115.000 households. This gives approximately a basis of 7.000 households in cities, towns and villages being interested in joining Car Sharing in the county of Ringkøbing. In the cities experiences show that there is a bigger demand for this service. lt gives possibility for about 1.000 vehicles in a system for Car Sharing in the total county.
Persons for Car Pooling
The investigation of Car Pooling shows that 16% of the persons answering are interested in pendling together. In the report it is assumed on the short term that the users of Car Pooling will be 8% of the persons having longer transport from their home to their place of working. On the long term it is the goal to reach 10-15% of all pendlers inside and in/out of the county of Ringkøbing. This is totally a group of people around 50-000 persons. This gives 4.000 persons for Car Pooling from the beginning of the project. In the future this amount can grow to more than 6.000.
Actionplan for Transport
There has been made an exact schedule for establishing Car Sharing, Car Pooling and the Transport Office. It is also suggested to do a total Actionplan for Transport in the county of Ringkøbing. This plan can be used by politicians, civil servants and the regional community as a tool for realizing sustainable transport.