Low-Car Diet Challenge: 15 Bay Area Drivers Quit Their Cars for 30 Days
SAN FRANCISCO--During the month of October, 15 Bay Area individuals are giving up their cars as part of the area’s first ever “Low-Car Diet.” The Low-Car Diet is being organized by Flexcar and is supported by transit providers and environmental organizations, including 511 Regional Rideshare Program, Amtrak, BART, Bay Area Air Quality Management District, City of Oakland Office of Sustainability and San Francisco Department of the Environment. The purpose of the challenge is to demonstrate how easy it is to live without a car in our transit-friendly Bay Area. Participants – all current car owners – will keep a diary of their experiences on a public website where others can see their progress and learn about the challenges and opportunities of living without a car.
At the kick-off event today at Justin Herman Plaza in San Francisco, representatives from BART, the Bay Area Air Quality District, San Francisco Department of the Environment, 511 Regional Rideshare Program, and Flexcar were on hand to applaud the Low-Car Diet participants. Each participant handed over their car keys to be held in a lock-box for 30 days. They publicly pledged to use alternative forms of transit including BART, buses, ridesharing, walking and biking. To help them out, they were given transit passes, gifts from local vendors, and a Flexcar membership for those errands and activities during October that require the use of a vehicle.
Participants included:
| Baby Ruth Santander | San Francisco Department of the Environment | ||
| Bill Wycko | San Francisco Planning Department | ||
| Carol Misseldine | Office of the Mayor, City of Oakland | ||
| Noah Barish | Office of the Public Defender | ||
| Grady O'Shaugnessy | Clif Bar | ||
| James Hurley | Port of San Francisco | ||
| Jennifer Borchardt | Wells Fargo | ||
| Karen Cook | County of Alameda | ||
| Lane Kasselman | Office of the Mayor, City of San Francisco | ||
| Mark Gross | Major daily newspaper | ||
| Mary Marzotto | City of San Francisco | ||
| Matt Weintraub | San Francisco Planning Department | ||
| Underdog Defender | Office of the Public Defender | ||
| Peter Slote | City of Oakland | ||
| Robynn Takayama | San Francisco Arts Commission |
Full biographies, photos as well as diary entries made by the participants can be viewed at http://www.sflowcardiet.com.
“People talk about the convenience of having their own car, but they conveniently forget the hassles, such as finding parking, paying tickets, being stuck in traffic and making insurance and car payments every month,” said Dana Beard, general manager of Flexcar’s San Francisco region. “Even as record numbers of people have switched to transit for their commute, far too many people still believe that giving up their car is too much of a sacrifice. This event and these people will show that it’s easier than we think to live without owning a car. I look forward to sharing their success stories and motivating thousands of others to do the same.”
With some of the highest insurance rates and gas prices in the country, not to mention some of the worst congestion, many Bay Area residents find that the expenses of owning a car are just too much to bear. People are increasingly looking for alternatives to owning a car – but not at the expense of convenience. Part of the appeal of living and working in San Francisco, Berkeley and Oakland is the number of walk-able amenities prevalent throughout the region. Restaurants, night life, grocery stores, cafes and health clubs are all just steps away for urban residents. Add to that an excellent transit system including Muni, AC Transit and BART with stops in nearly every neighborhood, and the region is ripe for a low-car environment.
Fewer cars mean less pollution, less congestion and more room for open spaces – all highly desired elements in urban planning. Communities are realizing the benefits of reduced congestion, air pollution and energy use, while increasing use of public transportation and contributing to sustainable communities thanks to car-sharing programs like Flexcar.
Facts on the Earth-Friendly Benefits of a Low-Car Environment
- Reduce need for concrete: Assume there are on average three parking spots needed to service each car, (home, work, and a shopping area). With each spot requiring about a half a ton of concrete, multiplied by the three spots for each car, that’s a whopping 3,000 pounds of concrete that could be saved if people owned fewer vehicles (45,000 pounds just for these participants).
- Reduce dependency on foreign oil: Because each trip has a cost, car-sharing members tend to drive less, combining multiple errands into a single trip. In addition, because Flexcar’s fleet uses the most fuel-efficient vehicles on the market, overall demand for fuel is reduced.
- Increase healthy habits: Surveys show that after joining Flexcar, car-share members walk more and ride more transit.
- Reduce vehicle emissions: With more than 60 percent of its Bay Area fleet hybrids, Flexcar members pollute less while they drive less. The average American who drives 12,000 miles per year contributes 675,000 pounds of carbon emissions. This group, for only this month, will cut 57,000 pounds of carbon emissions from the Bay Area air.
Best of all, there is no financial trade-off to achieve the environmental and health benefits of car-sharing. According to AAA, the average person spends spend about $700 per month (nearly $9,000 per year) on car ownership. The average Flexcar member spends about $90 per month – for an annual savings of almost $8,000.
Flexcar’s innovative program provides its members with on-demand access to a fleet of low emission vehicles, including gas/electric hybrids, pickup trucks and minivans. Members reserve the vehicle of their choice via the Internet or touchtone phone. A smartcard opens the door and they take their trip, returning the car to the same location for the next user. A simple hourly fee includes gas, premium insurance, parking and 24/7 emergency service. It is the only car-sharing service with operations throughout California and up and down the West Coast.
More information on Flexcar’s San Francisco operation is available via the web at www.flexcar.com or by phone at 415-282-3539.
About Flexcar
Flexcar founded the U.S. car-sharing industry and now operates car-sharing programs for tens of thousands of members in eight metropolitan areas, covering nearly 40 cities in seven states and the District of Columbia. With flexible pricing plans, members can reserve and drive any of these cars whenever and wherever they need to, without filling out complicated paperwork, paying for insurance, gas or repairs. Flexcar Business Memberships enable companies to augment or replace their fleet with Flexcar vehicles. Flexcar's fleet includes sedans, gas-electric hybrids, and specialty vehicles including pickups, AWD, minivans and convertibles. Flexcar is a portfolio company of Revolution Living, the lifestyle-oriented investment firm founded by AOL co-founder Steve Case.
Editor's Note: Correct spelling and punctuation of name is "Flexcar" (not Flex-car FlexCar, Flexicar or Flex Car).