Car2GO to launch in Calgary

[ByeByeBaby]

Originally Posted by Deepstar

A simple fix would be to have a surcharge on cars that stay outside of the core overnight.

That would be a next to impossible fix. Once you're done with your car, you have no control over whether someone else takes it or not. So I drive to Altadore at noon, and it just so happens that nobody else takes the car after 1 PM. It's not really my fault that nobody used the car in the next 12 hours, and it would be a nightmare to track to verify.

Also, Smart don't give a shit about people using them for commuting. They have massive use (read billing) for their fleet. Why would they stop people from using their vehicles and paying their cost?

[MichaelS]

Originally Posted by Deepstar

A simple fix would be to have a surcharge on cars that stay outside of the core overnight.

Does it even need a fix? People are obeying all the rules. I have a feeling there wouldn't be much rage if they woke up and the car they were hoping to use was gone, as it just meant that someone else who is also obeying the rules used it.

[Aegis]

The complaints that I've heard about residents being angry that Car2Go vehicles are parked in their neighborhood are complete BS, in my opinion. Car2Go is providing a valuable service. The vehicles are not very big, so one can't really make the claim that they are taking up too much space. I think these are some of the same people who preached doom when the C-train crossed the river into Sunnyside. This argument is on the same level.

[Bigtime]

Originally Posted by McMurph

I love the concept and have used it a few times. My only concern is the fact that it seems that its being used primarily by downtown commuters. The evening and morning maps are ridiculous -- all the cars are out in the periphery each night (no doubt in front of the house of someone who is counting on it being there in the morning), then they all "disappear" into the core by 8AM. Instead of supplanting car ownership, like a true car-share ought to be doing, our program seems to be supplanting transit and saving car commuters a load of cash on parking. Not exactly in-line with our core transportation plans. I'm also fully expecting to hear about Car 2 Go rage as neighbours begin poaching the cars that commuters had expected to have each morning.

I hope the city and Car 2 Go figure out a solution soon. Living in the inner-ish city (Bankview in my case) and not being able to find a car between 7 AM and 5PM is a bit irritating. I've heard of folks who live downtown/beltline that are equally bothered by not being able to find a car in the evening.

I'm definitely not a big user of the service, but the same problem McMurph is having occurs in Sunnyside as well. Unfortunately I think that is just going to be the nature of the beast in Calgary.

Unless Car2Go launches "Car2Go Core" with a subfleet of vehicles with a much smaller home area (Hillhurst-Sunnyside, CBD, Beltline, Inglewood/Ramsay, Mission). I bet if they charged a little more per minute (but still cheaper than a cab) it could be a feasible idea and get lots of use.

[hulkrogan]

Originally Posted by Deepstar

A simple fix would be to have a surcharge on cars that stay outside of the core overnight.

That's completely backwards. The cars SHOULD be out of the core at night. If they aren't in residential areas in the evening, they are useless.

What they need to do is ding people dropping cars in the core on weekdays between 6 and 10AM.

[Cage]

Originally Posted by Aegis

The complaints that I've heard about residents being angry that Car2Go vehicles are parked in their neighborhood are complete BS, in my opinion.

I have read the article. I can see the complaints of St Andrews Heights residents.

The issue the residents of t Andrews have is with the Car2Go allowance to park in residential permit areas. From the complaints, it appears that multiple Car2Go users have found a work around to the resident permit zones by Foothills. Specifically, Foothills hospital users are usiung Car2Go and parking the vehicles in St Andrews Heights. If this is being done by employees or other regular users of Foothills, I can see the residents complaints. The residential permit process for Foothills was to ban people from outside the community parking their cars for the day. Car2go residential permit allowance gets around the reason for the residential permits.

Here is what the City News Blog had to say about the issue:

Be a good neighbour. Many communities in the “home area” have residential parking restrictions, meaning that on-street parking is intended for residents and visitors with permits. These restrictions are usually found in areas with nearby educational institutions, CTrain stations and shopping centres. car2go vehicles can park in any residential parking zone, however we ask that members are respectful of the residents. If you notice car2go vehicles already parked on the street, simply park the car a block or two away or around the corner, so there’s room for other vehicles to park on the street too

http://www.calgarycitynews.com/2012/...and-donts.html

[RyLucky]

Originally Posted by McMurph

I love the concept and have used it a few times. My only concern is the fact that it seems that its being used primarily by downtown commuters. The evening and morning maps are ridiculous -- all the cars are out in the periphery each night (no doubt in front of the house of someone who is counting on it being there in the morning), then they all "disappear" into the core by 8AM. Instead of supplanting car ownership, like a true car-share ought to be doing, our program seems to be supplanting transit and saving car commuters a load of cash on parking. Not exactly in-line with our core transportation plans. I'm also fully expecting to hear about Car 2 Go rage as neighbours begin poaching the cars that commuters had expected to have each morning.

I hope the city and Car 2 Go figure out a solution soon. Living in the inner-ish city (Bankview in my case) and not being able to find a car between 7 AM and 5PM is a bit irritating. I've heard of folks who live downtown/beltline that are equally bothered by not being able to find a car in the evening.

I live in Sunnyside and Car2Go has been great. Day or night, there is almost always one within a few blocks. The cars go where the people go!

I was wondering, what's the rule with Car2Go and snowroutes? Does somebody move them when they have to plow, or are drivers liable if they were they left it there after the parking ban was declared?

[McMurph]

Originally Posted by Deepstar

A simple fix would be to have a surcharge on cars that stay outside of the core overnight.

Even better would be a surcharge on parking downtown between 7 and 9AM.

[DizzyEdge]

All you'd have to do is remove the free parking (ie don't allow ending a rental in a pay zone), and people would stop using them to commute.

[kw5150]

just leave it alone.

[ByeByeBaby]

Originally Posted by RyLucky

I was wondering, what's the rule with Car2Go and snowroutes? Does somebody move them when they have to plow, or are drivers liable if they were they left it there after the parking ban was declared?

The last driver is responsible for cars left on snow routes, to my understanding.

[93JC]

Originally Posted by DizzyEdge

All you'd have to do is remove the free parking (ie don't allow ending a rental in a pay zone), and people would stop using them to commute.

A lot of people would probably stop using them at all.

[McMurph]

The free parking in residential zones, park-plus zones and hourly restricted areas is pure genius. I love that part of the program and doubt it would work at all without it. I'm curious as to the nature of their arrangement with the city. I would hope that the city is getting a fair whack of cash in return.

What I object to (and only mildly at that) is people subverting the highly effective parking policies of downtown Calgary and a great car share program to get back into single occupancy private cars heading downtown at rush hour. I'd rather they were in a bus, leaving the cars for people who need to bomb around on less predictable and less transit friendly trips.

[Ramsayfarian]

Originally Posted by kw5150

I would love to see all of the things that have been left in car2go's to date. Would be funny, and some things not as funny. Does anyone know where they put these found items?

Excuse the tardy response, but I just noticed your post.
Best thing I've found yet, was a draft of a love letter some guy wrote to his fiance before their wedding day. One of his promises to her, was to watch less sports and clean the house more. I

[93JC]

You guys crack me up. 'Commuting' is GOOD for Car2Go, it makes the cars more convenient for most people to use. You want the cars to be where the people are, and for the most part people are downtown in the middle of the day and not downtown otherwise.

If I'm working downtown, whether or not I used a Car2Go to 'commute' there in the morning, I want the cars to be concentrated downtown during the day. That way I can easily find and take one to, say, a meeting. Unless I live downtown I want the cars to be out of the core in the evening, somewhere near my home, so that I can use one to go shopping, or (*gasp*) take it back downtown to go dining, to the CPO, to a Flames game (assuming they were playing, of course...). Then I or someone else can take it back home to the periphery, where I or someone else can 'commute' back downtown in the morning, I or someone else can use it during the day, etc.

More people work downtown than outside of downtown, and more people live outside of downtown than in downtown. What you see as "gaming the parking system" and avoiding using transit I see as a natural result of where most people are and where they want to go during the course of a given day. If there were surcharges for leaving cars parked overnight outside of the core or parking cars IN the core during the day then we wouldn't even be having this discussion: the program would have been dead by now.

For the most part the Car2Go I see parked out in front of someone's house at 6 pm is gone by 8 pm. The car I saw parked on 12th Ave at 9 am is gone by noon. That's the whole point of the program.

[93JC]

Originally Posted by Ramsayfarian

Excuse the tardy response, but I just noticed your post.
Best thing I've found yet, was a draft of a love letter some guy wrote to his fiance before their wedding day. One of his promises to her, was to watch less sports and clean the house more.

I found a coffee cup from Phil & Sebastian. Not a paper cup: a $26 double-walled ceramic travel cup. I thought it was a paper cup from afar and grabbed it with the intention of throwing it out.

I wasn't sure what to do with it. Leave it in the hopes whoever had used the car last would find it again? Take it to the Car2Go office (which didn't seem to be open at the time...) and leave it with them? In the end I threw out the silicone cap and threw the cup in the dishwasher. In fact I'm using it as I type this.

To whoever left their Phil & Sebastian travel cup in a Car2Go: sorry for stealing your cup.

[Ramsayfarian]

I say leave it as is. The system works fine. I am a bit worried that the City might do something about parking downtown though. Despite their wee size, they're taking up a ton of street parking in the core.

If one doesn't end their rental, they're free to park the car in a parkade or even in their own personal garage.

2 HR zones are cool. Until recently, I parked my own car in the same 2 hour spot all day, 5 days a week for more than a few months and have never been ticketed.

Poaching a Car2Go from in front of a residence first thing in the morning is a great way to start the day.
I like to pretend that I'm stealing someone's car. On the flipside, it feels like my car was stolen when someone scoops the one I've left in front of my place.

[McMurph]

Originally Posted by Ramsayfarian

Poaching a Car2Go from in front of a residence first thing in the morning is a great way to start the day. I like to pretend that I'm stealing someone's car.

I feel the same rush. Gotta be careful, though - smart cars are the gateway drug of auto theft. Next thing you know you'll be jacking someone's Aveo.

[DizzyEdge]

I'm waiting for the day where I've reserved a car that happens to be in front of someone's house, and as I get to it I see the house occupants trying to swipe in not understanding why it won't accept their card. Could be awkward.

[monocle]

If I join car2go, I'm for sure cabbing it to someone's house to poach.