American experience. The book is a must read for potential carsharers. (To receive notice of the book',s publication, send your name and address to RAIN, PO Bo.x 30097, Eugene, Oregon 97403.) According to Carsten Petersen of Stattauto, there are three critical requirements for beginning new groups: ( 1). there must already exist a public transportation system, as · carsharing is only a complement,to mass transit, and not a system in itself; (2) it must be expensive, or relatively so, to drive and maintain single-occupa_ncy private cars; and (3) it must be difficult . and unattractive to drive and park cars. While the mass transit situation is , somewhat embarrassing in the US, there's no doubt that private auto use will continue to become both more expensive and less attractive. Despite the overwhelming cultural popularity of the automobile, U.S. cities offer fertile ground for carsharing. And American pioneers, when they're ready, can count on help from the Old World. "Es geht nicht so weiter, wenn es so weitergeht. " (It can't go on, if it keeps going this way.) - Erich Kastner A personal note: This story is dedicated to a girlfriend ofmine, Leslie P., who died in a car accident in 1982. I've recently left Berlin, where I lived happily without an auto for one and halfyears, and returned to Seattle where automobiles are unfortunately still considered "necessary. " In the future~ life here could be a little less dangerous, and a little healthier, with carshqring. Michael Lafond is an architect, artist and writer researching sustainability. He facilitates a class <!n these issues at the University of Washington, Department of Urban Design. Right. A large set of rooftop solar panels recharge Stattauto's electric carfleet and pump electricity back into the utility grid. Electric cars usually cost more fo purchase, but they sharply reduce in-city emissions. In the US, you can get a federal tax deduction for electric cars. RAIN Summer 1994 Volume XIV, Number 4 Page 5
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