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St Andrews car club launched in bid to tackle traffic jams and climate change

Could you live without your car? A Fife car share scheme aims to take vehicles off the roads while leaving residents with the option of making necessary journeys.

Alistair MacLeod of Transition St Andrews and Sonja Potjewijd of St Andrews Environmental Network. Image: supplied/Urban Foresight
Alistair MacLeod of Transition St Andrews and Sonja Potjewijd of St Andrews Environmental Network. Image: supplied/Urban Foresight

A new St Andrews scheme is offering motorists the chance to make cash by sharing their cars.

Go St Andrews Car Club aims to make roads less congested and tackle carbon emissions by encouraging vehicle sharing.

And if you offer your own vehicle for use in the pool of shared cars, you could make money from your motor.

Don’t own a car but need to make a journey?

Jane Kell of St Andrews Environment Network said the scheme offers an alternative to car ownership.

“We have high rates of vehicle ownership in St Andrews.

“Many of those cars sit idle for most of the day.

“It goes without saying that from a climate perspective, we ideally would replace car journeys by cycling, walking and using public transport.

“However, due to our location here in Fife, our residents and visitors are often faced with journeys where a car is the best option.

“If that’s the case, then why not rent a vehicle only when you need it?”

St Andrews University and local sustainability consultancy Urban Foresight are among organisations supporting Go St Andrews Car Club.

It is one of the first initiatives under the Transport Scotland funded St Andrews MaaSterplan aiming to improve access to transport and discourage single occupancy car trips.

Could you live without a car?

National shared transport charity CoMoUK estimates that one car club vehicle can remove 20 private vehicles from the roads.

Dan Langford is principal consultant at Urban Foresight.

“For many of us, life without a personal vehicle feels like a giant leap,” he says.

And he says there “will continue to be a need to have access to private cars for decades to come”.

Dan adds: “How do we reduce the environmental impact of transport whilst continuing to provide the benefits of private vehicles when needed? There is no single answer to this. But local car sharing schemes are a valuable part of the solution.”

Meanwhile, St Andrews University Quaestor and Factor Derek Watson hopes staff, students and residents will use the car club.

He says it will “discourage the need to bring individual cars into the town”.

Go St Andrews Car Club has teamed up with car sharing platform Hiyacar for the scheme.

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