Green your world: Share a ride with your neighbours

If you live in any kind of community housing scheme such as a sectional title complex or a lifestyle estate, the chances are that you're already reducing water and electricity consumption by sharing a garden, access roads, security lighting, electric fencing and maybe a pool or a fitness centre with your neighbours.

However, if you want to be even more eco-friendly, why not also join forces with your co-owners and neighbours when it comes to transport?

"You could start a good old-fashioned lift club to get the kids to their afternoon activities, for example, or go super-modern and share your Uber to work every day or to the airport once a week with other residents. Your scheme might even consider following the example of many retirement villages, which have a communal vehicle with a driver to take residents on scheduled trips to the shops or other destinations," says Berry Everitt, CEO of the Chas Everitt International property group.

"This will reduce your fuel costs (which is a concern for everyone as petrol prices continue to rise) as well as the running costs of your vehicle, including insurance and maintenance."

More importantly in the environmental sense, he says, it will help to take more cars "off the road". "In New York City, for example, the Uber pool-car concept is expected to reduce the number of cars coming into the city by 1m a day within the next few years. And in SA, as the concept of transport-sharing gains ground, many families are already finding that they can easily manage with one car instead of two, or even that they don't need a vehicle of their own at all."

Everitt says this means less traffic congestion, less wear-and-tear on roads and, of course, less air pollution and fuel consumption overall. "Ultimately, it could also mean less need for parking infrastructure and new road development, so that more resources can be directed to the development of other facilities such as schools, hospitals, parks and even social housing.

"At an individual level, it will probably also mean that most homes don't need garages, and that new homes can be built on smaller stands, or that existing garages can be turned into storerooms, offices, studios, or even income-generating Airbnb venues."

Issued by Chas Everitt International

For more information contact

Berry Everitt on 011 801 2500

Or visit www.chaseveritt.co.za