Los Angeles Eco-Village Proposal stations to holders of annual commuter rail or local transit passes. The "Rainbow pass" scheme is Car-Sharing Promotes Walking, Biking and Transit A large car-free residential development is being built in Bremen, Germany. The 210 faiDrilies who will reside .in the development have pledged not to own personal cars, and to instead walk, bike or use transit. Two shared cars at the development's edge will be available for emergencies. There are over 45 car-sharing co-ops in Europe. The Dutch government has even created a full-time car-sharing promoter position in their Ministry of Transportation. The Quebec City carsharing firm, Auto-Com'is approaching their 2nd anniversary and already has nearly 170 members sharing 18 cars. To join, contact: Benoit Robert, 338 St. Olivier, app 2, Quebec City, Quebec G1R 105, Canada. Benoit also started carsharing in Montreal in September 1995, CommunAuto has 40 members who share 6 cars. CommunAuto is located at 4597 ave de !'Esplanade, Montreal H2T 2Y6, Canada, (514) 843-4825. Car-Sharing works where people have access to good public transport and live in compact, mixed-use neighborhoods! Renault and the private water supply giant Compaigne Generale dex Eaux are cooperating to bring the local carshare club in St. Quentin en Yvelines, France, 50 electric cars located at six carsharing stations. Members pay I 000 francs ($200/year) for a contactless chip card for gaining access to the vehicles. The city of Paris will buy a fleet of electric minicars in a carsharing arrangement for subscribing city residents. In ZUrich, Basel, and Geneva, Switzerland's transit offices, the Swiss Energy Ministry, a carsharing co-op, Nissan and Europcar Interrent (a large car rental firm) are working together to rent out cars at 6 transit Page 20 RAIN Summer 1996 Volume XV, Number 1 · cheaper than owning a private car if one drives less than 4,000 miles a year. It allows bus riders to get rid of the hassles of car ownership, but have cars in the neighborhood available when they are really needed. The special pass also allows the holder to take another person for free on public transit trips in the region during off peak hours. Partial source: Public Innovation Abroad. Los Angeles: Parking Lot or Eco-village? In the midst of a city that is half parking lot, it is surprising to find an ecovillage demonstration with a car co-op springing up. Ridership on the transit systems has also remained higher since the big earthquake, and demand for parking in L.A. county lots is decreasing due to the 1990 implementation of commuter travel allowances. The $70 commuter travel allowance comes in county employee paychecks: county parking now costs $70 a month, so it's the employees' choice whether to drive or save money using alternatives. For info about Los Angeles' Eco-village Demonstration, write to 3551 White House Place, Los Angeles, California 90004 or call (213) 7381254. More info on how these commuter travel allowances can be set up may be found in Cashing Out Employer-Paid Parking, by UCLA Professor Donald Shoup, available from the Office of Technical Assistance and Safety, Federal Transit Administration, U.S. Dept. of Transportation, 400 Seventh St. SW, Washington, DC 20590, (203) 366-4000. Car-free Olympics? Atlanta, Georgia, the site of the 1996 Summer Olympics is working on extending its on-street bike lane network in time for the flood of tourists. And one of the first prize Olympic village designs for the 2000 Sydney Olympics is car-free, highly energy efficient, and uses solar heating and lighting. The design was sponsored by Greenpeace. Source No Sweat News & Bicyclist Advocacy Bulletin. From Malls to Mixed-Use With Housing While there does not seem to be a U.S. surge in banning further car-dependent suburban development, there does seem to be an increasing awareness of the advantages of mixed-use zoning. Vast parking lot-dominated shopping
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