Question of the Week: HOURCAR in Uptown
Uncategorized — By Cedar Phillips on March 8, 2011 2:56 am
An HOURCAR car awaits customers at the Uptown YWCA
Do you belong to HOURCAR? If not, what’s stopping you from joining? What spots in Uptown would be prime candidates for new HOURCAR locations?
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6 Comments
I’d like to see one at 36th and Bryant. That would fill in the current coverage gap between the more central Uptown/Lyn-Lake cars and the 38th and Nicollet location. There are a lot of apartments around there (and therefore greater density) and it’s on several bus lines and a bike path, so it would be convenient for many people in CARAG and Lyndale neighborhoods and south. 26th and Hennepin would be nice, too; I know there are already options near there, but the more the merrier. Right now the overall city coverage is still pretty light, and I assume that membership will pick up even more steam as more sites continue to be added to the roster.
I like the 36th and Bryant idea (mainly because I use that bus stop already). That would be close enough to consider being a one car family since the back up would be no further than the bus stop.
Yes, yes! I love HOURCAR! The Wedge location is so popular, I’m hoping soon there’ll be demand for a car up the hill near Franklin and Hennepin… but that’s a bit selfish.
My friend Jeff had a membership and it was great to use when we’d go places together. My only comment on location would be that in the highest-density areas, they may want to have two cars next to one another so you can have a better chance that one will be there. I think once the Henn-Lake area ones were full and we may have walked down to 34th/Hennepin when there was one there.
The best thing about hOurCar is that you don’t have to carry insurance. So for Jeff who didn’t have a car at that time, it was a good financial move it seemed.
Car-sharing is awesome. Period.
36th and Bryant would be walkable from where I live. However, my partner and I would need to figure out how to be a one car family with both of us working in suburbs and one needing a car at least once a week for work to visit customers. In the mean time, we cycle into work on days that it makes sense, I carpool, and we both sometimes drive solo. Maybe someday car sharing will make sense for us.
I’m really happy there’s an HOURCAR truck now, and I’ll be even happier when there is one in Minneapolis. I don’t have a car anymore, so I can’t get a truck from Home Depot or Menards since both require proof of insurance. HOURCAR takes care of the insurance angle for me.