We have created a draft car share policy. We are now seeking community feedback on our policy.

Sustainable methods of transport like public transport, cycling and walking are readily available in Yarra. However for the times when a car is necessary, car sharing is a cost effective alternative to owning a car.

There is currently 3 car share providers operating in Yarra, and we’re looking to expand the number of parking spaces dedicated to car share vehicles.

We are seeking feedback on a policy we have developed to guide how and where car share spaces will be made available, and also rules for how car share providers can operate in Yarra.

What is car sharing?

Car share schemes are operated by private car share companies, who provide access to a fleet of cars which are parked on the street and in some private car parks (such as apartment blocks or businesses).

Local residents and businesses can become members of a car share scheme, and use the cars for short periods for a fee.

What are the benefits of car sharing?

Car sharing is a cost effective alternative to owning a car, especially in inner city areas. It can also supplement the need for more than 1 car in a household.

Research shows that one car share vehicle can replace between 7-10 privately owned vehicles, which reduces congestion and demand for on street car parking.

You can find more information on the benefits of car sharing on Your Say Yarra.

How many car share spaces are proposed?

Car sharing reduces the need for people to own a car. Currently there are about 45 privately owned cars per 100 people in Yarra. There are 152 car sharing spaces.

Factoring in our anticipated population growth, we expect we would need an additional 79 car share spaces by 2023 to maintain or reduce the number of privately owned cars in Yarra (increasing the total number of car sharing spaces from 152 to 231).

What are we proposing?

We are proposing 2 different options for increasing the number of car share bays over the next 5 years:

Option 1 – Increase the number of car share spaces by 79, to a total of 231 spaces.

This would enable us to maintain the current car-to-people ratio.

Option 2 – Increase the number of car share spaces by 131, to a total of 283 spaces.

This would potentially reduce the current car-to-people ratio.

You can read our full policy and take our survey online.

We're seeking feedback on our Car Share Policy until Friday 12 October.