Residents club together on cars

The group, Oxcar, plans to introduce a car club scheme to cut journeys in the area.

The idea is a number of cars will be purchased which people could rent by the hour, day or for longer periods.

Similar schemes have been set up in London, where each car club car, accessed by members using a smart card, is thought to have displaced up to 20 other vehicles from city streets.

Co-organiser Abi Johnson, of Hurst Street, said: "You have a fleet of cars parked in local streets in designated bays that members have access to.

"It is like a super conven- ient version of a hire car."

The plan is for the group, working with not-for-profit organisation Commonwheels, to buy a couple of new cars.

They would be paired with a number of "village cars" donated by members of the scheme, who would retain ownership but would not have to pay any of the usual overheads.

The group has already raised £7,000 to get the scheme up and running, and would plan to charge in the region of £4 per hour, with the first ten miles free and the next 100 charged at 25p per mile, with charges going down to 19p per mile after that.

Mrs Johnson said she would be only too pleased to give up the hassle of actually owning a car.

She said: "It could be great. There are so many people in East Oxford who have a car sitting outside somewhere in the street which they use every few weeks, but owning it is their only way to have access to a car.

"If you have access to a car paying an hourly rate and mileage, you do not have to worry about tax, insurance or even fuel so for people who don't drive huge distances it is financially much more sensible."

It is estimated people who drive less than 6,000 miles a year could save more than £1,000 each year.

Backer Cliff Jordan, of Florence Park, said: "I can imagine it making a significant impact on the number of cars parked right across Oxford and the congestion on the street."

More information is available at oxcar.org.uk or commonwheels.org.uk