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Transportation Manager Michael Manzella proposed installing an electric-vehicle car share program during Wednesday night’s City Council Workshop meeting.

The vehicles would be available to rent for an hour or up to a day, Manzella said. And like the bicycle share program, the city would be the first to offer the service along the Jersey Shore.

“When it comes to the triple bottom line that planners consider – environment, economy and equity, this really hits all three nicely,” he said.

The environmental returns on investment [ROIs] would be cleaner air and helping to improve the city’s standing with Sustainable New Jersey. The City hopes to achieve a Silver certification.

The economic ROIs would be a reduction in parking demand, which in turn helps reduce how much parking we create in the city, Manzella said.

“It’s just a more efficient mode of transportation,” he said. “It’s an attractive amenity for the city to have. The goal here is not to have everyone get rid of their cars but to [let] residents have the option to not have a car.”

In terms of equity, Manzella said close to one-third of all Asbury households are zero-car households.

“The idea is to improve accessibility for people to get to doctor’s appointments, grocery store trips, things like that,” Manzella said.

The shared economy model, which has grown form music to housing and cars, has changed the way people view travel, ownership and consumption, Manzella said.

“Ownership is becoming less and less of a priority, especially among the younger generations,” Manzella said “They are much more likely to share resources; and cars are definitely a piece of that.”

According to Greenspot data [the company that launched the Jersey City car sharing program]:

76 percent of adults believe the sharing economy is better for the environment.

91 percent believe the way we live produces too much waste.

And, cars sit idle for 95 percent of the day.

“The idea is to try to share that limited resource as much as possible,” Manzella said. “In the future a lot of economist and transportation [experts] predict that more and more cars will be driverless, shared and electric.”

Manzella proposed starting a pilot program with two stations comprised of four vehicles.

“The idea is that it would be a phased program, with a potential to expand to up to eight spaces” he said.

Greenspot would perform a feasibility study to determine the best installation locations, purchase and install the charging stations, pay for the electricity, and operate the program, with a potential of allowing the public to charge their cars at the stations.  

And while, the initial proposal would be for adding a station in the downtown and one along Springwood Avenue where there is a higher concentration of residential units, Manzella said there is a potential for developers like Sackman Enterprises and waterfront redeveloper iStar to include stations within their projects.

“I’m proud that Asbury Park would be leading the charge along the Jersey Shore for something that would help reduce our carbon footprint and help our residents get around,” Mayor John Moor said.

Manzella said the governing body would need to pass a resolution to accept the pilot program and execute a request for proposal [RFP]. The goals will be to have the program in place by summer.   

[Photos in part courtesy of Greenspot]

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