Zipcar chief on CNBC

Zipcar Chief Executive Scott Griffith appeared on CNBC this week to explain why "cars on demand" makes sense for people who live in cities and don't need a car all the time.

http://www.cnbc.com/id/15840232?video=996618094

He points out that Zipcar is not only for transit-oriented cities like New York. It is exceeding expectations here in Atlanta, where Lanier Parking Solutions is Zipcar's joint-venture partner, having brought the concept to the city in 2006.

You can get a discount on a Zipcar membership by applying through http://www.lanierparking.com/.

Stimulus plan must include bike lanes and sidewalks

With President-elect Barack Obama about to take the oath of office, there is a lot of anticipation in the transportation community about his economic stimulus package.
Mr. Obama has clearly indicated that transportation infrastructure will be a critical component of any stimulus plan. Local governments have been sharpening their pencils and putting together their wish lists for quick, easily implemented, "shovel ready" projects. Although roads and bridges are traditionally first on the list, there has been a new emphasis on transit. I strongly suggest taking it even further to consider bike lanes and sidewalks as well. U.S. Congressman Earl Blumenauer of Oregon is pushing for them, as reported in the New York Times.
For a few million dollars, the entire city of Atlanta could build a comprehensive bike and sidewalk network. If it is left to traditional funding sources, it might never happen.
Think about it, if local leaders include bikes and pedestrians in their request, Atlanta could have a world class biking and pedestrian infrastructure in just a couple years.
If you want to learn more about local efforts to push for sidewalks, contact PEDS.

Is the gas tax too high or too low?

In today’s AJC, conservative columnist Jim Wooten suggests phasing out the 18.5-cent federal gas tax and letting states decide which projects to fund.

Taxing authority should be returned to the states. State officials, and not
Congress, should be making decisions about what projects are built where. The
first money should be spent on improving major transportation corridors.

That is the exact opposite of what “Hot, Flat, and Crowded” author Thomas L. Friedman says we need if we are going to tackle our clean energy needs, which are directly tied to how we get around.

Producing new energy, or protecting the environment—in the Energy-Climate era, which is more important? Is it possible to do both? How we are going to do either without a price signal—i.e. gasoline or carbon tax—beats me.

Friedman says until we stop encouraging people to drive large, single-occupancy vehicles in more and more lanes, we will continue to choke our air and enrich petro-dictatorships that send money to people who want to hurt us.

Can we really expect each individual state to come up with a plan to stop this cycle?

Rental car company entering hourly car-sharing market

Further proof the Zipcar model works. The Wall Street Journal reports Hertz Corp. is launching an hourly rental car service in New York, London, Paris and Park Ridge, New Jersey.

Zipcar Chief Executive Scott Griffith says the news is "a complete validation of the large-scale potential of the category."

We at Lanier Parking Solutions brought Zipcar to Atlanta because we were able to see its potential in a market that traditionally wouldn’t fit the car sharing model (i.e. lower density and higher car ownership rates).
Our joint venture partnership with Zipcar in Atlanta is the perfect marriage of parking and car-sharing. It allows members to find Zipcars all over the city at great locations that Lanier helped to secure.
As I’ve mentioned before in this blog, anyone can get a discount on a Zipcar membership by applying through http://www.lanierparking.com/.

Get Involved

There are many organziations working in Atlanta every day to acheive real change in our transportation system. Here are three that have had an enormous impact with limited resouces.

PEDS
Citizens for Progressive Transit
Atlanta Bicycle Campaign

I strongly encourage everyone who is interested in making Altanta 's transportation system world class to check out their websites and get involved.

Pulling Zipcars from a Pez dispenser

Check out the Zipcar parking structure that a Boston architecture firm has designed. Modeled after the PEZ candy dispenser, it saves space and reduces parking costs, making Zipcar a viable alternative.
It's a perfect model for Zipcar, since it doesn't matter which car you get. You just take the next one in the stack.
(Photos courtesy of Moskow Architects)

Have you tried Zipcar? Here's a cheap way to have Wheels When You Need Them

One of the biggest impediments for carsharing to enter a new city is the cost and availability of parking. This is especially the case in cities such as San Francisco, New York and Boston where parking is a premium. It is also an issue in Midtown and downtown Atlanta.
Through a unique partnership between Lanier Parking Solutions and Zipcar, we were able to address this concern. Lanier provides free parking for Zipcars, enabling carsharing to come to our city years before the market would have allowed it.

Special deal on Lanier Zipcar

You can try Lanier Zipcar at a discount. If you apply using this link, Zipcar will waive the $25 application fee and cut your annual fee in half to just $25. You'll also get discounted hourly and daily rates.
Check it out, and let me know how it goes.
If you're not familiar with Zipcar, read this story that the AJC did in September.