Moonee Valley Council fears carshare provider Car2Go could result in another O-bike crisis
A council in Melbourne’s northwest is worried a new carshare app similar to the oBike model will put more stress on city parking.
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Moonee Valley Council fears a vehicle-sharing crisis, similar to the oBike headache, could be coming to Australia.
Carshare provider Car2Go, currently operating in Europe and the USA, is considering entering Melbourne and Sydney next year.
Car2Go is similar to the oBike model and offers a floating or one-way carshare service where cars can be picked up in one area and returned in another.
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The council is considering a range of options to manage carshare vehicles before Car2Go enters the market.
These include introducing peer-to-peer carshare permits where the car owner would need to prove there is no off-street parking available and that most residents in the street approved of the vehicle being parked in the street.
Other options were permits that limited the time of day and duration that a share car would be legally parked in a residential street with no parking restrictions, which would require other councils coming on board.
The final option being considered was banning all carshare operators from parking on all residential streets.
However, the report said this would clash with the council’s policy that supported sustainable transport options that limited people owning cars.
Councillors unanimously decided to call on the State Government and neighbouring councils for statewide regulation to control the potential effects of the new service, including limiting the areas where vehicles could be parked and imposing substantial fines for noncompliance.
Many residents in Moonee Valley are becoming increasingly frustrated with people using kerbside parking for commercial gain via carshare services, such as Car Next Door.
Residents in East St, Ascot Vale said carshare vehicles were frequently parked in their street, often sitting in two-hour restricted spots for weeks.
One resident, who did not want to be named, said she supported car sharing but wanted the council to allocate specific parking spots for those vehicles.
An old ambulance used by the provider Van Next Door was creating a traffic hazard and took up two car spaces when parked parallel, she said.
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