Itchy Brighton article

Jump in my car

Lift sharing and car pools are taking Hoff

‘Are you gonna go my way?’ asks bellowing codpiece-thruster Lenny Kravitz – no doubt looking to cadge a lift on car sharing websites such as www.nationalcarshare.co.uk, www.liftshare.org or www.freewheelers.co.uk. How drivers might feel about Len shoehorning his ‘fro and cowskin-clad crotch into their Vauxhall Nova for the morning commute to Staines is debatable, but thousands of us are logging on to bag space in the Espace or offer seats in the Séat and pool vehicles rather than journeying solo.

The benefits of car sharing form a list longer than that for Itchy’s grandma’s special Christmas Asda shop. Pooling vehicles saves cash: passengers make donations towards the driver’s petrol proportional to the distance travelled, which are still cheaper than the cost of travelling alone. Congestion charges only have to be phlegmily coughed up for once, fewer cars on the road means shorter queues at the red lights, and of course there’s the green issue too; lower car use equals lower fossil fuel consumption and environmental damage.

So, there are fewer holes in the earth, fewer holes in the sky, and fewer black holes in your frighteningly red bank balance. But are there unholy holes in the scheme too?

Safety first

The fear of hitching a ride with some gaffer tape-wielding psycho ready to strap you up and taunt you with a particularly pungent Magic Tree is enough to make many people give the boot to car pool plans.

However, as well as giving sound advice such as meeting new pool pals in well lit, public places, taking a friend for the first trip and checking vehicle details are correct before you hop in the back, most websites now offer advanced safety screening systems and private telephone message services allowing drivers and passengers to be vetoed to make sure they’re up your street before prior to hitting the road.

Dash bored?

If your concerns extend beyond security and you’re worried that 2 hours on the M1 cooped up with someone you barely know from Adam could be more uncomfortable than fibreglass Y-fronts, then that’s covered too.

You can specify whether you have age or gender preferences amongst those you share with and state interests to ensure you’re not bored on board. If you care about exhaust fumes but couldn’t give a flying fornication about those coming out of your tar-scarred lungs, options to travel solely with smokers mean you won’t have to just hope to strike it lucky with those who won’t mind your Lucky Strikes.

Car sharing also has the potential to rekindle a wider sense of community spirit. The www.freewheelers.co.uk site in particular is on a bit of a hippy trip, bringing together punters on their way to the same festivals and events and aiming to make getting there and back part of the experience, although we don’t suppose the free love vibe extends to examining the size of your fellow roadsters’ airbags. But this doesn’t burst Itchy’s car share bubble; provided it’s done with a sense of safety and a sense of fun, we’re behind this reinvention of the wheel all the way.

The Road to Perdition – things not to do when car sharing

• DON’T car share with hearses. You’ll never get to work on time.
• DON’T think that this is a good time to whip out your Andrew Lloyd Webber mix tape. Likewise, in the absence of a stereo, someone else’s motor is not a great place to practice your karaoke version of Michael Bolton’s ‘How Can We Be Lovers If We Can’t Be Friends?’
• DON’T consume flatulent foodstuffs before five hours in a three-door, and DON’T pump up your bladder with a family-sized bottle of Sunny D – one too many wee stops will piss people off. Trying to drain your spuds on the move when a driver you don’t really know controls the electric windows is a bad idea too.
• DON’T car pool in the morning if you’re terrible at getting up. Not only will your companions resent your tardiness, but there’s nothing worse than being cramped up on the back bench with someone suffering from a bad case of bed B.O. and with half a morning-glorious cob on.

Comments

I agree that car sharing is a good idea. We are trying to follow the Americans again as they have taken to it big time. In time, I believe that people will have to look at taking alternative transportation and car sharing will be one of them, as the running costs for car owners are getting much higher every year and with other services like buses and trains not at their best, people may see car sharing as a viable option. I have seen many car sharing schemes like liftshare.com and www.travel2work.co.uk and I'm impressed with their ease of use. If car sharing does take off in this country, I can see more car share lanes being built all around the UK.
- Emily Evans from Caerphilly on 28/03/2007 -

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