UNIVERSITY OF BRISTOL
High-tech carshare scheme for Temple Quay employees
Employers in Bristol's Temple Quay area are marking National Carshare Day [June 14] with the announcement of a new carshare scheme for their staff.
The move is one of a series of transport measures being developed by the Consortium of Temple Quay Employers Transport Forum, aimed at widening travel choices for staff and reducing the number of cars coming into the area each day.
With 5,000 people working in Temple Quay by 2004, the number of carsharers should be high, with savings for staff and benefits to the wider transport system.
The consortium has opted for a system developed and used by Bristol University called 'E-carshare'. The system enables staff to search for matches on their own work-based computers via a secure web site. The software system looks for a match on an individual's journey to and from work at all places along the journey, not just the start and finish points.
Staff at Bristol University already use the system and it has had significant effects on travel patterns. An extra 10 per cent of people driving to work have access to a parking space because they are carsharing.
The Temple Quay transport initiative is co-ordinated and supported by Bristol City Council. If successful, the approach of working with groups of employers to address common transport issues could be extended to other parts of the city.
Martin Belcher, Project Manager for E-carshare at Bristol University's Institute for Learning and Research Technology (ILRT), said: 'This route matching, combined with an easy-to-use web site, means that users of the system have a significantly increased chance of finding potential carshare matches for their journey to and from work. Once matches have been found, it is just a question of people starting to share their journeys.
'Carsharing can only be a good thing for Bristol as it helps to address the city's transport issues as well as improving the environment.'
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Email: public-relations@bristol.ac.uk
Copyright: 2001 The University of Bristol, UK
Updated: Wednesday, 13-Jun-2001 12:54:01 BST