[sustran] People-centred and sustainable transport- Car Sharing as a case in point

[Eric Britton]

Dear  Friends,

I have been off line for several months now, but  have not been
neglecting our mutual interests and would now like to see if I can
place an idea before you that may prove useful in our slow but, I
hope, sure move toward, as our host Paul Barter calls so well,
"People-centred and sustainable transport".  Specifically I would
like to draw your attention to a small collaborative project that
will be running for the next eight weeks in large part via the
Web, and which is an attempt to shed some useful light on the
concept of... Car Sharing.

It is our view that this concept is broader and rather better than
one might at first guess, and that a cooperative effort of
information gathering and measured reflection might be in order at
this time.  If you agree, I propose to place here before you
several shortish pieces which set out the main lines of the
argument as we see it, and then ask your views, etc. on it, either
within the confines of this forum and/or via the Web site that we
have set up in support of the project on the Commons, which you
can reach easily via http://www.ecoplan.org.  You will note that a
special 'discussion area' has been set aside for the project
there; it is called the WebBoard and its use is, I certainly hope,
pretty transparent.

In closing I would like to point out that this whole consideration
brings me at least to a broader issue concerning which I for one
do not know the solution - and that is how can we begin to piece
together all this information and intelligence (and brainpower)
that lurks in various places on the net, but which at present
still tend to get 'caught in the corners'.  Perhaps we can explore
one way around this as we see what might be done to link Sustran's
reach and brainpower to that of The Commons, with this small car
sharing  effort as a case in point.

I am pleased to be back among you and look forward with real
interest to following your work and exchanges.


With all good wishes,

Eric Britton
____________________________________________________
EcoPlan International - Technology, Economy, Society
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