Car-sharing programs in Silver Spring’s central business district were intended for worker bees buzzing to and from appointments. Now, some residents want their spin at the wheel.
“There is the concern that there are too many cars and not enough parking,” Evan Glass, member of Silver Spring’s citizens advisory board, said at Tuesday’s transportation committee meeting.
The problem, said Glass, is particularly acute in South Silver Spring, where the density is tight and the parking tighter.
“We live in the CBD. We want to foster Metro use,” Glass said. “But people like myself hold onto one car for evening and weekend use.”
However, car-share programs — like those offered by Zipcar and Flexcar — would give residents access to a ride without betraying their support for mass transit, Glass argued. Residents’ use of car-share programs would be “recreational, more than anything,” he said.
Currently, Zipcar and Flexcar have rides at the Silver Spring Metro station. Both companies also keep cars in Fenton Village and at a couple of apartment complexes west of Georgia Avenue.
However, neither car-share company keeps wheels in South Silver Spring. According to Glass, the only space available for storing shared rides in that neighborhood is the Kennett Street garage, a county-owned facility.
Currently, the county has no procedure for leasing parking spots to car-share companies. “If we just require a bid from one [company], are we setting ourselves up for bids from another?” asked Mel Tull, who oversees economic and commercial programs at Silver Spring’s regional center.
However, Sandee Brecher, an administrator for the county’s commuter services division, said the county was already working on putting more shared wheels on the street.
“We are considering a program whereby the county would permit use of public on-street parking spaces for car-sharing vehicles, possibly under a contractual arrangement with one or more car sharing companies,” Brecher wrote in an email to The Penguin.
The county also has demanded car-sharing spaces from traffic mitigation agreements with developers, “especially for larger developments or where the uses are particularly appropriate for this type of service,” Brecher wrote.
“This increases the number of options the car-sharing companies have for spaces to locate cars,” she added.
Advisory board member Phil Olivetti welcomed the opportunity for car-share programs to lease county-controlled parking spots.
“If they want to pay the county for a space, then I don’t care if it’s [company] A, B or C,” Olivetti told his committee colleagues.
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“If we just require a bid from one [company], are we setting ourselves up for bids from another?”
Wouldn’t more car sharing mean less spaces taken by individually owned-cars? I mean, assuming there is a market for car sharing in the specific location.
When we look at the list of concessions that condo developers are making, we should require that they make parking spaces available for Zipcar and Flexcar. Has the added benefit of making it convenient for their residents, and hopefully reducing the number of cars their residents need.
“However, neither car-share company keeps wheels in South Silver Spring.”
Wrong; Flexcar keeps two cars parked in front of the Blair Park Giant.
Editor’s note: You’re right, Omari. There are two Flexcars at The Blairs. However, some don’t consider The Blairs to be part of South Silver Spring. — JD (Oct 1, 2007)
It is quite odd to hear that some don’t consider the Blairs to be in South Silver Spring. It actually borders DC along Eastern Ave. I’d like to know what folks consider the boundaries of South Silver Spring to be.
I’m all for shared cars.. we used flexcar a bunch this summer when my fiance and my schedules overlapped more than usual – we have 1 car, but both of us can transit 80% of the time or more… was very helpful in preventing us to have to buy a second car for the rare times those 20%’s overlapped.
I think if the county is going to start leasing space though, they have to do it for both companies. Otherwise prices are bound to rise due to lack of competition. Particularly since at least flexcar (i dont know about zip) sets their prices “actively” based on demand.
I wouldn’t have considered Blair to be S.Silver Spring. But I would have considered Fenton Village to be getting pretty close to it… I think the walk from Fenton Village to Eastern ave is probably the same as my walk was from my apartment to fenton village when I was using Flex. Granted, I could have had closer ones at the metro, but those are ~$20 more per day.. my point being, the walk wasn’t really that bad twice a week.
According to some Montgomery County records, “South Silver Spring” is regulated to the area East of Blair Mill Road in between Eastern Avenue and the railroad tracks.
That being said, I personally do consider the Blairs to be part of South Silver Spring. The problem is trying to engage the residents of those buildings to fully become part of the South Silver Spring Neighborhood Association and work for a better South Silver Spring. I have tried to get the Blairs’ management company to help us in this outreach, but they are uncooperative. If anyone reading this lives in the Blairs and wants to be involved in the South Silver Spring community, please contact me.
As to the point of the car sharing, two Flexcars in the Blairs’ is not enough for the more than 3,500 people who live in the entire South Silver Spring neighborhood.
Oh–I didn’t know some don’t consider the Blairs to be in South SS. By the definition Evan cites, I don’t live in South SS either. Okay, whatever.
At any rate I don’t understand how two cars at the Blairs is “not enough”. I’m a Flexcar customer and have never had a problem getting one of the cars when I need one.
I would have to cite similar experience… Granted, my flexcar use was well planned and I always had my reservations in well in advance, but I’ve never had trouble getting one (Note, that’s in Fenton Village… although I think that’s as close to the majority of South SS as Blair is).
It’s “not enough” in the sense that if usage ever took off, two cars wouldn’t come close to fulfilling demand.
We haven’t been Flexcar-users for the past year, but prior to that, we were frequent users of the Blair cars and the Park-n-ride cars, as well as the Zipcars in the Lenox. We didn’t have too much trouble getting a car when we needed one. There were a few times that we had to go to Weaton or Forest Glen, or chose to go for the Flex-5 cars, back when there were Flex-5 cars. I assume these companies run the numbers on usage, and wouldn’t let demand go unanswered. Then again, from my experience with account services… –d
[...] county has no mechanism for negotiating the lease of parking spaces at public garages, she said. Last month, members of the transportation committee requested car shares at the Kennett Street garage in South [...]