Car club scheme for Lyde Green residents gets sign-off

Newly-built village Lyde Green near Bristol has had its car club scheme for residents confirmed for four years, after more than £67,000 in developer funding has been confirmed.
 
Currently, around 1,500 homes in Lyde Green are occupied, with a further 1,000 to follow once the development is completed. As more members join, South Gloucestershire Council plans to purchase more vehicles through developer funding and establish permanent parking spaces in the Lyde Green Park and Ride.
 
At present, residents of Lyde Green get free Enterprise Car Club membership for four years – worth £240 – and also receive £50 in driving credit when they first join. This can be used nationwide, with 1,100 vehicles already running in 130 cities, towns and communities across the UK.
 
Cllrs Rachael Hunt, Colin Hunt and Judy Adams said: “This scheme is fantastic and we are delighted there has been considerable interest in the first months of the Club. This demonstrates the Council’s commitment, not just to better and more convenient transport, but to integrating our newer communities like Lyde Green. With the Club’s current car producing very low CO2 emissions, it is great to know that an environmentally friendly direction is being taken. We hope future additions to the club could also introduce electric and emissions free vehicles to further that attitude.”
 
Cllr Toby Savage, Leader of South Gloucestershire Council, said: “I have been getting very positive feedback on how the Lyde Green Car Club has been running and I was delighted to be able to meet representatives from Enterprise to find out more. My fellow Conservatives have been very persistent in campaigning for good quality transport options to be made available to Lyde Green, and I applaud this latest success.”
 
Carl Henderson, Enterprise’s South West England General Manager, said: “We have been operating in this area for more than 20 years and are delighted to now be launching Enterprise Car Club at Lyde Green. Even just one vehicle can make an enormous difference to out of town developments and allow people to stay mobile when they don’t have access to a vehicle. We believe that the programme will prove particularly useful for those trips where other forms of public transport are not an option, offering residents greater choice and value when they travel.”
 
Leaflets will be distributed by Enterprise to residents over the coming weeks, with further information events showcasing how the scheme works and for residents to test out the car.