13 June, 2013

Carpool Trial In Adelaide CBD a State First

In a first for South Australia, the State Government, in partnership with City of Adelaide, will commence a two year trial of a new 'Adelaide Carpool' initiative in the CBD.

City of Adelaide Acting Lord Mayor Michael Llewellyn-Smith AM said that despite being well served by public transport, a significant proportion of commuters drive into the Adelaide CBD, with many of these being single occupants.

"According to Austroads statistics, car occupancy rates are around 1.2 people per vehicle with a downwards trend over the last decade from 1999 to 2009," Michael said.

"The Adelaide Carpool trial looks to address this issue and encourage Adelaide drivers to think about their daily car commute and consider carpooling as a more affordable and environmentally-friendly option.

“It will also help reduce traffic congestion which makes the city easier to get around and leads to a calmer, more pleasant place in which to spend time.”

A number of large Adelaide CBD based workplaces have been approached to take part in the trial including universities, hospitals and a selection of private and government organisations, including City of Adelaide.

Department of Planning, Transport and Infrastructure (DPTI) Executive Director, Road Safety Registration and Licencing, Julie Holmes said the department has developed a tailored web-based approach that focuses on working in partnership with select workplaces to support their employees to participate.

"This free online matching service allows registered users to match with other verified participants within the network," she said.

"Initial research has indicated that a successful program would provide economic benefits, even when limited to work trips. The most significant barrier is finding someone to carpool, with 64 per cent of those likely to try carpooling not aware of anyone they could share their journey with."

The trial will address the issues raised during implementation of interstate carpooling schemes, but will also take it a step further by using technology to drive the program. Adelaide is set to be the first city to use Android and Apple mobile phone Apps to enhance the scheme.

As part of this partnership, Council is trialling a limited number of designated car park spaces in the Rundle Street U Park for participants to use.

This trial program will run until the end of 2014, after which a review will be undertaken to determine any further expansion.

Interested Adelaide CBD based workplaces can find out more by emailing [email protected] or by visiting http://www.adelaidecarpool.com.au/

Paula Stevens