Feasibility Study for Vehicle Sharing in Charleston, South Carolina

Feasibility Study for Vehicle Sharing in Charleston, South Carolina Janet Li City of Charleston Department of Planning, Preservation & Sustainability August 26, 2011 TABLE OF CONTENTS EXECUTIVE SUMMARY ........................................................................................................................ 4 INTRODUCTION .................................................................................................................................... 5 FEASIBILITY IN CHARLESTON .......................................................................................................... 7 DENSITY AND SETTING ................................................................................................................................. 7 EXISTING TRANSPORTATION ..................................................................................................................... 7 DRIVING ENVIRONMENT ............................................................................................................................ 10 BICYCLING ENVIRONMENT ........................................................................................................................ 23 DEMOGRAPHICS ............................................................................................................................................ 32 BEST PRACTICES ................................................................................................................................. 36 BICYCLE SHARING ......................................................................................................................................... 36 CAR SHARING ................................................................................................................................................. 39 BOTH ................................................................................................................................................................. 41 OPERATING MODEL AND IMPLEMENTATION ........................................................................... 42 PILOT ................................................................................................................................................................ 42 SUSTAINABLE FINANCIAL MODEL ........................................................................................................... 43 SAMPLE BUSINESS MODELS ...................................................................................................................... 50 EVALUATION SYSTEMS ............................................................................................................................... 55 MARKETABILITY ........................................................................................................................................... 58 SCALABILITY .................................................................................................................................................. 63 PARTNERS ....................................................................................................................................................... 64 TIMELINE AND ROLLOUT OF OPERATIONS .......................................................................................... 69 RESOURCE DEVELOPMENT ........................................................................................................................ 70 MARKETING AND COMMUNICATIONS ................................................................................................... 71 CONCLUSION ........................................................................................................................................ 72 REFERENCES ........................................................................................................................................ 73 1 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS Susan Collins Brian Sheehan 2 LIST OF FIGURES Figure 1: CARTA DASH Trolley Routes ..........................................................................................................88 Figure 2: Most Congested Streets on the Peninsula in 1999 .............................................................1010 Figure 3: 2000 Traffic Congestion ................................................................................................................1111 Figure 4: 1990‐2000 Change in Traffic Volume and Population .....................................................1212 Figure 5: Hours Worked and Mode of Transit of Charleston Residents .......................................1313 Figure 6: 1999 Major Pedestrian Areas on Peninsula ..........................................................................1414 Figure 7: 1999 Carriage Tour Zones ............................................................................................................1515 Figure 8: 1999 Bus Tour Zones .....................................................................................................................1616 Figure 9: Before and After Improvements in Signal Retiming Project .........................................1717 Figure 10: 1999 Charleston Peninsula Parking Inventory ...............................................................1919 Figure 11: Current Parking on the Charleston Peninsula ...................................................................2020 Figure 12: Affect of Climate on Cities’ Bike Share Rentals .................................................................2323 Figure 13: Charleston Shared Use Path System Map ............................................................................2424 Figure 14: Charleston Bicycle Network, 2008 .........................................................................................2525 Figure 15: Assessment of Cycling Infrastructure in Specific Cities ................................................2626 Figure 16: Central Minneapolis Bike Facilities .......................................................................................2727 Figure 17: Charleston Peninsula Bicycle Parking ..................................................................................3030 Figure 18: Successful Car Sharing Demographics As Compared to Charleston ........................3232 Figure 19: Bike Share Liability Options ......................................................................................................3737 Figure 20: Vendor‐Operator Operating Models .....................................................................................4242 Figure 21: Franchise vs. City‐Built Bike Share in New York City ....................................................4444 Figure 22: Vehicle Sharing Costs and Revenue Streams .....................................................................4444 Figure 23: Estimating the Market Near a Potential Car Share Pod ................................................4646 Figure 24: Summary of Public Sector Car‐Sharing Trends ................................................................4747 Figure 25: Car‐Sharing Market Penetration in Downtown San Antonio .....................................4848 Figure 26: San Antonio Business Model 1 .................................................................................................4949 Figure 27: San Antonio Business Model 2 .................................................................................................5151 Figure 28: San Antonio Business Model 3 .................................................................................................5252 Figure 29: Sample Car Share Budget Template ......................................................................................5353 Figure 30: Car Share Performance Measures to Monitor ...................................................................5555 Figure 31: Car Share Partner Evaluation Techniques ..........................................................................5656 Figure 32: Visitor Transportation Modes to the Charleston Area ..................................................5858 Figure 33: Breakdown of Overnight Visitor Expenses .......................................................................5959 Figure 34: Charleston City Fleet Vehicles ..................................................................................................6666 3 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY The City of Charleston, South Carolina is committed to green initiatives and the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions over the next several decades. The City is working on many different solutions in order to tackle the large proportion of emissions that come from transportation. One idea—vehicle sharing—would be a very large‐scale project if executed. This feasibility study was therefore launched first to determine the potential success of these types of programs in Charleston. Vehicle sharing encompasses both car and bicycle sharing. They are an extension of the public transit system. Vehicles are distributed at stations across a region and can be rented by the hour by members of the program. They are intended for short‐term uses and enrich existing modes of public transportation by offering an additional flexible, alternative form of transit. While Charleston has a large percentage of people who own and drive their own vehicles, along with some lack of full bicycle network connectivity, the market for vehicle sharing still looks promising. This is due in most part to the city’s huge population of tourists and students, which represent two key target markets for a car or bicycle

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