Harringay, Haringey - So Good they Spelt it Twice!
Streetcar throws in the towel as whispers about Haringey cabinet intent to charge them for parking their cars come true! (Spoof*)
Streetcar has decided to take their money and run, when the news of Haringey decision to charge them for parking their cars. Streetcar bosses confessed “dealing with Anti-competition watchdog was easier then dealing with Haringey transport bosses.”
According to the Telegraph Streetcar founders are to net £11m from the sale, don’t you feel sorry for them? But hey we can take comfort knowing that our council tax has been subsidising their business for a few years.
On the up side we can all sleep well from now on, knowing that our CPZ permits have been officially doubled and will help raising the annual parking surplus from £3,000,000 to unknown new heights.
Hope this news made you smile. Read the ‘real news’ on Haringey decision and the latest press on our website http://www.GreenN8.org
Best Wishes
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
GreenN8 C o m m u n i t y G r o u p | http://www.GreenN8.org
| http://twitter.com/GreenN8
| https://www.youtube.com/GreenN8TV
Zipcar takes the fast lane with Streetcar acquisition
============================================================
Anti-competition watchdog provisionally allows UK's two biggest car clubs to merge
By Jessica Shankleman
18 Nov 2010
An acquisition that will combine the UK's two biggest car clubs has been
provisionally approved by the anti-competition regulator based on its
expectation that the market for car-sharing schemes will continue to grow
rapidly.
The UK's Competition Commission (CC) today confirmed
/pdf/38_10_zipcar_streetcar_pf.pdf> that it believes the sale of Streetcar,
the largest car club in London, to Zipcar, the second largest, is not
anti-competitive because other companies are likely to enter the market in
the coming years.
The booming car club market would therefore offset any chance of the
Zipcar/Streetcar merged company being able to raise prices or reduce its
services to customers, it said.
Zipcar first announced
http://www.businessgreen.com/bg/news/1807090/zipcar-snaps-streetcar...
car-club-powerhouse> it had bought Streetcar in April, but the Office of
Fair Trading subsequently referred the sale to the CC to decide whether it
would substantially reduce competition in the market.
The CC inquiry has provisionally concluded that new and expanding companies
will stop the expanded Zipcar from exploiting its market position. However,
t has asked interested parties to comment on its findings with an eye to
issuing a final report in January.
"This is a carefully weighed decision but the evidence we have seen of
credible expansion by existing players and plans by new entrants into this
market means that we have provisionally concluded that the right answer in
this case is to clear the merger," said chairman of the Zipcar/Streetcar
inquiry group Peter Davis.
"Industry estimates have car club membership numbers increasing eight-fold
over the next decade so this is a fast-growing and therefore potentially
attractive market for new and expanding providers, particularly in London,"
he added.
If approved in the final report, the deal could significantly bolster the
appeal of the car club model in the UK giving customers of both companies
access to an increased number of vehicles. The deal is also expected to act
as a springboard for the firm's planned expansion across Europe.
Scott Griffith, Zipcar chairman and chief executive, said he was pleased
with the findings, which represented an important milestone in the
regulatory review process.
"The companies are now a step closer to delivering important benefits to
both Zipcar and Streetcar members, including access to more cars in more
locations, a wider selection of vehicle makes and models, and improved
service levels," he said in a statement
.
"Streetcar members will benefit from being a part of a global car sharing
network by using their membership in cities around the world where Zipcar
already has a presence."
Zipcar claims to be the world's leading car club with more than 500,000
members and 8,000 vehicles throughout the US, Canada and the UK.
Streetcar founders to net £11m from sale
==========================================
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/finance/newsbysector/transport/7621904/S...
Two university friends will net in the region of £11m after the UK’s largest car sharing group Streetcar was sold to US rival Zipcar.
Zipcar, the largest car hire group in the world with 360,000 members, will pay around $50m (£32.5m) in company stock to acquire Streetcar, of which Andrew Valentine and Brett Akker still own a third.
Mr Valentine and Mr Akker founded Streetcar in 2004 and have established a fleet of 1,400 cars across eight British cities, including London.
They met at university before taking on senior roles at P&O, the ferry group, and Mars, the confectioner, respectively.
[*Note from Site Admin: We've added the short explanation to the title at the request of Streetcar since apparently this post is being returned in Google results and the company is concerned that no misunderstanding results. We're happy to oblige.]
According to the Telegraph Streetcar founders are to net £11m from the sale, don’t you feel sorry for them? But hey we can take comfort knowing that our council tax has been subsidising their business for a few years.
On the up side we can all sleep well from now on, knowing that our CPZ permits have been officially doubled and will help raising the annual parking surplus from £3,000,000 to unknown new heights.
Hope this news made you smile. Read the ‘real news’ on Haringey decision and the latest press on our website http://www.GreenN8.org
Best Wishes
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
GreenN8 C o m m u n i t y G r o u p | http://www.GreenN8.org
| http://twitter.com/GreenN8
| https://www.youtube.com/GreenN8TV
Zipcar takes the fast lane with Streetcar acquisition
============================================================
Anti-competition watchdog provisionally allows UK's two biggest car clubs to merge
By Jessica Shankleman
18 Nov 2010
An acquisition that will combine the UK's two biggest car clubs has been
provisionally approved by the anti-competition regulator based on its
expectation that the market for car-sharing schemes will continue to grow
rapidly.
The UK's Competition Commission (CC) today confirmed
/pdf/38_10_zipcar_streetcar_pf.pdf> that it believes the sale of Streetcar,
the largest car club in London, to Zipcar, the second largest, is not
anti-competitive because other companies are likely to enter the market in
the coming years.
The booming car club market would therefore offset any chance of the
Zipcar/Streetcar merged company being able to raise prices or reduce its
services to customers, it said.
Zipcar first announced
http://www.businessgreen.com/bg/news/1807090/zipcar-snaps-streetcar...
car-club-powerhouse> it had bought Streetcar in April, but the Office of
Fair Trading subsequently referred the sale to the CC to decide whether it
would substantially reduce competition in the market.
The CC inquiry has provisionally concluded that new and expanding companies
will stop the expanded Zipcar from exploiting its market position. However,
t has asked interested parties to comment on its findings with an eye to
issuing a final report in January.
"This is a carefully weighed decision but the evidence we have seen of
credible expansion by existing players and plans by new entrants into this
market means that we have provisionally concluded that the right answer in
this case is to clear the merger," said chairman of the Zipcar/Streetcar
inquiry group Peter Davis.
"Industry estimates have car club membership numbers increasing eight-fold
over the next decade so this is a fast-growing and therefore potentially
attractive market for new and expanding providers, particularly in London,"
he added.
If approved in the final report, the deal could significantly bolster the
appeal of the car club model in the UK giving customers of both companies
access to an increased number of vehicles. The deal is also expected to act
as a springboard for the firm's planned expansion across Europe.
Scott Griffith, Zipcar chairman and chief executive, said he was pleased
with the findings, which represented an important milestone in the
regulatory review process.
"The companies are now a step closer to delivering important benefits to
both Zipcar and Streetcar members, including access to more cars in more
locations, a wider selection of vehicle makes and models, and improved
service levels," he said in a statement
.
"Streetcar members will benefit from being a part of a global car sharing
network by using their membership in cities around the world where Zipcar
already has a presence."
Zipcar claims to be the world's leading car club with more than 500,000
members and 8,000 vehicles throughout the US, Canada and the UK.
Streetcar founders to net £11m from sale
==========================================
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/finance/newsbysector/transport/7621904/S...
Two university friends will net in the region of £11m after the UK’s largest car sharing group Streetcar was sold to US rival Zipcar.
Zipcar, the largest car hire group in the world with 360,000 members, will pay around $50m (£32.5m) in company stock to acquire Streetcar, of which Andrew Valentine and Brett Akker still own a third.
Mr Valentine and Mr Akker founded Streetcar in 2004 and have established a fleet of 1,400 cars across eight British cities, including London.
They met at university before taking on senior roles at P&O, the ferry group, and Mars, the confectioner, respectively.
[*Note from Site Admin: We've added the short explanation to the title at the request of Streetcar since apparently this post is being returned in Google results and the company is concerned that no misunderstanding results. We're happy to oblige.]
Tags for Forum Posts: CPZ, Parking, StreetCar, car sharing
Replies to This Discussion
-
Permalink Reply by Clive Carter on
-
I cannot see how the sale in April, of Streetcar to Zipcar, has anything to do with Haringey Council's increased parking charges, announced this month. Even if there were any connection, what difference would it make? The original owners may be "taking their money and [running]" but will there be any difference to the service that the company offers? Will the operation be changing its name?
Good luck to the original builders of the scheme: they deserve their good fortune for spotting the gap in the market. If crystalising their original investment is "throwing in the towel", I'd be happy to throw in the towel in this way!
-
Permalink Reply by Nigel Lupton (luptonn) on
-
I can't work it out either Clive.
I've had a read through and run a quick Google search and can't find anything relating to their problems negotiating with Haringey council - perhaps you could provide links and sources for this GN8.
I can't work out whether the thrust of this discussion is that "it's an outrage that Haringey Council hasn't been charging Streetcar to park" or whether it is "it's an outrage that Haringey Council is going to start charging Streetcar to park". Or perhaps it's neither and just a way to drive traffic to the GreenN8 web site ? Could you clarify please GN8.
Logically, if people don't feel the need to own a car because they can use a car club, then this would mean fewer cars parked on the streets of Haringey. A good thing that perhaps is worth Haringey waiving parking charges for these groups. However, perhaps in these Times of Austerity the council have worked out that they can squeeze some money out of the car clubs that can then be used to protect services in another area.
By the way, well done to the owners of Streetcar, they started their own company and are now selling it for £32 million so we should congratulate them. They're netting £11 million themselves for having an idea and making a success of it. The comment "Don't you feel sorry for them?" would suggest that we should dislike them because they are successful - why?
[Disclosure, I don't own a car and occasionally hire a car, although I've never used Streetcar or Zipcar]
-
Permalink Reply by GN8 on
-
This is meant as a spoof, a joke, but I guess one needs to be aware of few facts to get it...
* Of course Streetcar/ zip car should pay! It is about time Haringey started charging them to park on residential roads where residents pay to park. Until now we have been subsidising their business and the latest revelation makes it very clear - they really do not need any help financing their very lucrative enterprise.
* The involvement of 'Anti-competition watchdog' in this deal, is also a joke! Their involvement is a true fact all right , BUT the joke is on us, because the business of car sharing is and always has been a CARTEL operating in London. There is no competition and there never was one. Essentially London was divided to 4 slices and each operator got a slice. StreetCar got the North London slice.
When Haringey council decided to permit this business to implement and operate in Haringey, they could not choose which company they would like to go with. Street Car was the only and most expensive option of them all!
Unlike the spin, the so called green motivations behind this is doubtful at best...
It turned out those who fund and own the majority shares, and partly manage streetcar, are also heavily invested in oil exploration and also own oil drilling companies. The chairman is actively involved both in the motoring industries and at the same time was working with Prescott forming the transport policies that made it so easy for streetcar as a company to be funded and subsidised by TFL and local authorities and ensure their monopoly. There is even more... It turned out that main share holder through his investment company also owns what may be perceived as their competitors. So not just a monopoly but in reality total control over 100% Market share...
here you may find a very long discussion about it if you are really interested...
Any ways... This was meant as a bit of fun and also to let people who use or intend to use Streetcar, that things may change very soon. If I remember correctly Zip car was the cheapest of them all, that might be the chink of light in all of this for the people of Haringey...
p.s. I don't own a car, I don't even drive... I walk, use public transport, and catch a ride with others when possible.
Have a good weekend
GN8
-
Permalink Reply by Old-Age-Emporium(OAE) on
-
GN8: Never explain! If you reach the point of saying, 'The spoof I've just inflicted on you is really full of humour - let me now explain it point by point,' you've really hit the wall. On serious minded sites (especially over the slack weekend) better avoid any lapse from the high and solemn. In fact on some serious sites, better check your calendar that it's 1st April before you risk deviating from the norm. Just occasionally, however, if you're really gnomic like the Delphic oracle the priests in charge will provide a helpful interpretation.
-
Permalink Reply by Stuart on
-
The most outrageous thing of all is not the failure by Haringey to charge Streetcar to park their cars. It's the fact that, of all the available cars in Harringay, only one is a Golf. The others are all the most expensive of all Streetcar cars - BMWs!! So they've got free permits to fill Haringey with the cars least likely to be attractive to the majority of residents in one of the more deprived boroughs in London. They should be forced to provide cheaper cars in their range.
-
Permalink Reply by Liz on
-
"It's the fact that, of all the available cars in Harringay, only one is a Golf."
Not sure where this fact comes from. We are members of Street car and the majority of cars are golfs and polos. Only a couple are BMWs and we've never had to use them for lack of availability of cheaper cars. The bays allocated to them are not in front of people's houses, usually they are tucked away in obscure little spots.
Like GN8, I don't drive and as a family we use public transport or bikes for the majority of the time but on occasions we have found our streetcar membership useful. I' m not clear why an enterprise that basically allows people to rent some hours in a car when they need it should be getting such criticism. The blurb we get from them doesn't seem to indulge in Greenwash.
-
-
By the way, car clubs do pay to park in CPZs and the setting up and installation of the parking bays was paid for by a grant from TFL, not Haringey council. Those interested can find details of the original arrangements here (PDF)
-
-
As a purely disinterested observer (of course) I found this account of a (typical) Haringey consultation enlightening, amusing and confirmatory of all my learnt prejudices about LBH consultativeness culture.
The 22 originally proposed sites for their 41 cars were to be in densely parked areas. A central spot in each area, presumably? Like midway along Allison or Hewitt, maybe, for Harringay? Well no, let's stick one in that little hidden dogleg of Portland Gardens and another across the tracks on Stapleton Hall Rd. Were these meant to reduce dense parking by lazy commuters around the Harringay train stations? Who knows? Anyway both nipped in the bud, with reasonable alternative suggestions from a few local residents (including SGRA).
The farther eastward, the fewer responses - down to zero. So they get their Streetcar whether they desired one or not or frankly couldn't give a damn.
The farther westward, the more responses and more detectable signs of NIMBYism.
19 responses - 18 against in one Muswell Hill road. (Please tell me that one YES vote was from someone called C. Kober.)
Of the 22 sites proposed, 8 were rejected - some with alternative neighbouring streets suggested. Did Tony Kennedy revisit those eight in Autumn'09 as he promised? Did Harringay Ladder ever get its streetcar of desire? Presumably not, since Liz says it's tucked away in some untidy invisible spot.
-
Permalink Reply by John McMullan on
-
There's a silver BMW always parked at the bottom of my road alongside the common that says it's from Streetcar...
-
-
Sorry, can't join everyone in a little Sat night council bashing on this one. Streetcar coming to Haringey was handled well and provides a good service. There seems to be a great deal of confusion about how it works. The document is old and merely highlights how the process got started. There are now 16 Streetcars available to Harringay residents spread out across the neighbourhood. 11 are small cars, 5 are BMWs. The number of cars increased as promised. You misunderstand me, OAE, they are not invisible spots but simply not in front of people's houses, or shops. The bays are often chosen at the tops of streets because there are no front doors, merely side entrances. It strikes me that a lot of thought went into siting the cars, rather than the opposite. One is parked down the side of St Paul's church, not invisible but not infringing on that inalienable right of every Englishman to park his carriage outside his castle.
-
-
Oh well then that seems like a great success, owing little to the plans of two years ago. If only I'd known that the Feb'09 doc was the one copied by Venerable Bede in Dec 732 and later lost without trace to the Vikings in the 9th century . . . .
© 2024 Created by Hugh.
Powered by
