Laying Down the Law

Allegheny's own Allen Law was premiered on the front page of the Meadville Tribune earlier this week for his work this summer on getting a ZipCar program on campus.

For those of you who don't know, ZipCar is a car-share program that is present on over 100 colleges and universities across North America and is prominent in lots of major cities.

How it works (according to the nifty flash video on their website...)

1. Join - I'm assuming Mr. Law will be giving us lots of info on how to do that in the future
2. Reserve- go online or use your cell... and you can reserve these dudes for a trip to the grocery store, or for a day trip to Presque Isle, or something more academic-y, if you really want
3. Unlock- just hold your zipcard (which I'm assuming will not be integrated onto the Allcard we all know and love?) to the windshield to unlock the doors, and then it's smooth sailing and hello, freedom.
4. Drive- go for a cruise, do what you gotta do, and return the car to its reserved parking spot

So, it's kind of like MotorPool, but way more student friendly, and I'm also assuming that these cars are hybrids (at least, I think that's what Allen told me.)

I lived in Brooks for two years, and let me tell you, I hated finding parking spots. In addition to the fact that there was never parking close to the building, I also often forgot which lot I was parked in and had to call whoever I was with the last time I drove to ask them if they remembered. Let's just say it led to a lot of wandering around pressing the panic button...

This program won't be coming to campus until at least Spring Semester 2010, at the earliest, but keep your eyes peeled for more info on how to get involved!