Islington now has London's fastest growing membership of Streetcar - Britain's largest car club - as more people seek greener alternatives to car ownership.<br><br>The car club concept is finding increasing appeal amongst those who have occasional need of a car but don't want the hassle of fuel bills, tax and insurance. <br><br>Following Islington Council's support, Islington Streetcar now has 1000 members - and is Streetcar's second largest borough car club in London. <br><br>While Transport for London (TfL) provides the funding for infrastructure, Islington Council put in the parking bays and signage and promotes use of the scheme which has environmental benefits over traditional car ownership.<br><br>Cllr Lucy Watt, Executive Member for Environment, Islington Council said: <br><br>"We have the fastest growing car club membership in London - and that's good news for the environment. Streetcar reduces the number of cars on the road because many people can use them in one day - so they can help make Islington greener."<br><br>"If you don't want the burden of car ownership, storage or maintenance, Streetcar, is perfect. <br><br>"They can be used for an hour, a weekend or a month and with 60 convenient locations across the borough there's probably an available car nearer than you think." <br><br>Streetcar's 1000th Islington member is Janet Davis, 40, a lawyer from Angel, N1. To celebrate the milestone, she receives an iPod to play in the car and free drive hours. <br><br>Ms Davis said: "Owning a car in London is so expensive, and it's not very environmentally friendly. Streetcar works so well for us because it is easy to use, and the location of our nearest car club bay is only one minute walk away from where we live. With a young baby it is so convenient - we think it's fantastic".<br> <br>For an hourly fee of £4.95, residents can join Streetcar and drive away a smart new VW Golf. <br><br>Since Streetcar started in Islington in April 2006, the number of cars in the borough has increased from 23 to 39. <br><br>Vehicles can be found at many convenient locations around the borough - by April this will have risen to over 60, meaning most residents will be within five minutes' walk of a car.<br><br>In addition to these cars, Islington residents can use any of the 270 Streetcars located across London. <br><br>Streetcars feature iPod connections and an in-car phone system. They can be booked on line or by phone. <br><br><br>Notes: <br><br>*Streetcars cost £4.95 to hire, which includes the costs of parking, petrol, insurance and road tax <br>*Using a Streetcar vehicle is often cheaper and less of a hassle than running a car <br>*Using a car only when its needed, cuts congestion, air pollution, parking pressures and decreases carbon emissions <br>*Most car club users use public transport and walk or cycle more than the average car driver <br>*Streetcars are smaller than older cars and therefore more fuel efficient <br>*Streetcar is the UK's largest car club with over 10,000 members. <br><br>For more information: www.streetcar.co.uk <br><br>or <br><br>0845 644 8476 <br><br><br>
Page Last Updated: 17 December 2009