By Kayla Baines
Baltimore Watchdog Staff Writer
Baltimore city officials are hoping to ease parking in neighborhoods across the city with a new car share program.
The program, similar to Zipcar, will allow drivers to borrow a car for just a one-way trip and drop the car off at a designated parking spot. Unlike Zipcar, drivers will not have to take the car back to the location it started in. The car can be parked at a designated spot that could be in the driver’s neighborhood.
“This model will cost nothing but still bring added revenue to the city,” said Peter Little, executive director of the Baltimore City Parking Authority. “We have seen in other cities that point-to-point transportation, like this program, has reduced car ownership in half. They encourage people to use all alternative methods of transportation.”
Little said this program is designed to compliment Zipcar as they work together to bring down the number of cars owned in the city.
“In the first year up to 400 permits will be given out to qualified vendors,” Little said. “Right now we’re looking for vendors who are most likely running a car share in another city and are successful. Those vendors can buy up to 25 permits at a time and each permit is for the car and a station where the car can be parked. Vendors choose the car and stations will be at metered spots, so it does not take away from residential parking.”
Some residents believe the city should focus just on alternative methods of transportation because of the program adding more cars to the streets.
“The idea of this program is not good for the city,” said Bob Merbler, chairman of Federal Hill’s association parking committee. “We always just want to promote alternatives to driving like biking and public transportation.”
“Any program that removes cars from the street is a wonderful idea,” Merbler said. “Federal Hill has 1,300 parking stickers and 600 visitor passes with only 900 parking spaces. And now we’ll have several stations for these shared cars but I don’t think the program will get people who already have cars to suddenly use a shared car.”
This program comes as the Department of Transportation is also working to implement a bike share program and improve bike infrastructure.
Emily Scarr, director of the Maryland Public Interest Research Group, said that car sharing, bike sharing and improved public transportation are all good investments for Baltimore.
“We think transportation dollars should be spent to support all of these projects and maintain existing infrastructure instead of road and highway expansion projects that aren’t in line with driving trends,” Scarr said. “Public transit investment will make a bigger positive impact on our transportation infrastructure, but car sharing options that allow people to live without owning a car are also part of the formula.”
Little said the program will not only be aimed at residents but also tourists and visitors who would like to get around without using Uber or a traditional cab.
“Most of our residents are already members of Zipcar and have the Uber app on their phones. Different transportation methods serve different purpose,” Little said. “All of these different options added up, eliminate the excuse for people in the city to have a car.”