By MARK GERTSKIS

With Eastern Suburbs roads often gridlocked with traffic, car-sharing is gaining steam as a credible transport alternative.

A private firm, Charter Drive, will launch a car-sharing scheme by the end of the month to service Kings cross and Darlinghurst.

Meanwhile, City of Sydney council is awaiting draft guidelines from the Roads and Traffic Authority before allocating trial public parking spaces for car-share operations.

In Waverly, council officers are preparing a report and cost study covering various car-sharing options, aiming to place a proposal before councillors by July,

“The major benefits for members are economy and parking,” Charter Drive General Manager Paul Reichman said.

“In Kings Cross and Potts Point in particular, people drive from work and spend 30 to 40 minutes looking for parking.”

Charter Drive, which introduced the concept to the public at least week’s Kings Cross Food and Wine festival, aims to start with two cars and two off-street dedicated car spaces located in the Kings Cross Car Park.

Members will be able to use the car at any time during work hours, accessing it with a personalised digital swipe card and paying for time used.

“We are not consuming parking meant for the community,” Mr Reichman said.

“The whole premise of the car-sharing is that one shared car services between 10 and 20People. Car sharing takes cars off the road, reduces congestion and preserves space.”

Waverly councillor George Copeland, who spearheaded the council’s research into car-sharing, said the scheme would benefit public transport by taking at least some cars off the road

“In our area there is a more or less static population, but an increasing car population,” Dr Copeland said. “Traffic congestion impacts on public transport, and makes public transport less attractive.”

Options considered by Waverly Council include council-run car-share operation, a partnership between the council ad a private operator, or a fully-fledged private enterprise.