cars by the hour...

A while ago, I wrote a post complaining about a fawning segment on PBS's show Motorweek about hourly car rental services. The Motorweek article seemed convinced that the idea would reduce pollution, amoung other things.

Now (via NewsFeed comes a review on a car sharing service. The Yahoo article is a little more balanced than the PBS show, but it still seems a little gushy in places - like this:

To make a reservation, I simply visit Zipcar's Web site and am immediately directed to my personal Zipcar page — my computer retains my logon information

Wow, they retain login information! They must use some fancy computer technology - like cookies! Maybe someday some other website will use this technology.

Seriously, though, I think hourly car borrowing services are probably a great idea for a very small number people - people who live in very dense cities, who can walk or take public transportation most of the time. This isn't most people, though. I live in central Baltimore - the Reservoir Hill neighborhood - and still use my car all the time. Judging by the trouble I have finding a parking space in my 'hood- especially late at night - I'm clearly not the only person who finds it necessary to have a car in the city.