South Wales Echo reported recently on a series of fines being given to drivers for stopping to collect passengers as part of car-sharing schemes. Drivers who use the M4 which stretches between Newport, Cardiff and Swansea are being fined for stopping on the hard-shoulder of adjoining duel carriageways in order to collect passengers. 

Police have been accused of lacking sympathy for these environmentally motivated motorists. However, South Wales Police maintain that it is an offence to park on the hard shoulder.  Inspector Carwyn Evans told South Wales Echo;

“We applaud the concept of people car sharing but it cannot be at the expense of illegal or inconsiderate parking.”

http://www.walesonline.co.uk/news/wales-news/2008/06/28/attempts-to-go-green-falling-foul-of-police-91466-21165248/

With tax incentives, reduced insurance costs and fewer trips to the petrol station, drivers have plenty of incentives to go green. However, now there is yet more motivation to add to the list - faster journey times.

A hard shoulder on the M62 along the notorious eastbound route between junction 25 and Leeds has been opened for drivers with two or more people in their car and has been dubbed a ‘car sharing lane’. It is the first of its kind in the country and links the southbound M606 from Bradford to the eastbound M62.

It is estimated that the lane can shave around 40minutes off the typical commute time - but there has been little take-up so far.

According to research, around 85 per cent of vehicles on the road during the M62 rush hour are carrying just one occupant, which is having a negative impact on the environment and heaping more pressure on our already jam-packed roads.

In Calderdale a car-share initiative has been established with office workers who live in similar areas sharing a lift to work. However, there have only been 727 people join the scheme so far - and yet there are around 29,000 vehicles driving into Halifax every day.

A car-share car park has been set up in Cow Green with half-priced parking for car sharers. Despite a low take-up it is estimated that the scheme has saved 242,682 miles, £24,268, 74 tons of CO² and 24,735 trees.
Clearly there are massive advantages both environmentally and financially for being willing to share a car. It is expected that similar schemes will be adopted across the country if there is suitable demand.

So would you be willing to share a car to help the environment? Or is your car privacy too important? Let us know your thoughts.

The age of green driving has arrived, as the UK’s first motorway car share lane, has been opened by Transport Secretary Ruth Kelly.
The 1.7-mile lane, built by the Highways Agency, links the southbound M606 near Bradford to the eastbound M62 towards Leeds. It is open to cars and taxis with two or more occupants, as well as buses and coaches, and bypasses the notoriously congested section where the two motorways merge. The new lane will save road users an average of six to eight minutes per journey - 30-40 minutes per week for regular commuters.
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Ruth Kelly said: “This new lane offers motorists the opportunity to reduce both their journey times and their carbon footprints. Currently, four out of five vehicles using this busy junction have only one occupant. I hope this new lane will encourage people to share their journeys, which will ease congestion, cut journey times and improve local air quality. We have identified around 500 miles of motorway as potential priority sites for new traffic management measures, which may also include more car share lanes.”
Simon McBride