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The Element Condominiums

(2124-30 N.California)

I-GO: CAR SHARING PROGRAM

Simplify your life, share our cars...

The Element is one of the very first new construction projects that will feature an iGo car on the premises. This car will function as any other iGo car but the convenience of being able to park directly outside your door makes all errands much simpler and even fun. The iGo is an excellent program offered to Chicago residents which reduces the amount of fuel and carbon ejected into the air on a daily basis.

I-GO is dedicated to improving the environmental quality of the Chicago region by promoting a Low Carbon Diet.
While I-GO attracts customers because of its convenience, flexibility, and economy, I-GO also produces high social returns. Cars can have serious deleterious societal impacts, particularly in large urban areas. These impacts include pollution, traffic congestion, and large public expenditures on highway construction and maintenance, often at the exclusion of investment in public transportation. Cars also are expensive to own and operate, especially for people with moderate incomes. Car sharing reduces the individual and societal costs of driving.

Reduced Driving
I-GO has conducted its own research from its four years of operation and has gathered profound results:

Each I-GO car replaces 17 cars on the road
25% increased their walking
14.5% increased their biking
17.6% increased their public transit usage
Members report driving only 9.6 miles per week, or 500 miles per year, whereas the typical car owner in Chicago drives 10,000 miles per year
45.9% who owned a car at the time of orientation gave up or postponed purchase of a vehicle or considered selling a vehicle because of joining I-GO
Of those who did not own a car at the time of orientation, 56% postponed buying a car because of I-GO or gave up a car prior to joining I-GO

The finding that car sharing can significantly reduce car usage has attracted considerable interest nationally among transportation planners and policymakers. Car sharing is the only program that has succeeded in reducing car ownership by such a significant amount. Reduced driving has multiple benefits, including less road congestion and pollution.

Reduced Traffic Congestion
The yearly Texas Transportation Institute's Mobility Report has consistently placed Chicago among the five worst areas for congestion since the Institute began doing their annual study. Drivers in northeast Illinois and northwest Indiana spent an average of 56 hours in traffic delays in 2002 (the latest year for which there is information) up from 50 hours of delays in 2001. The cost of congestion to the Chicago region was $4.2 billion or $985 per traveler in time and gasoline.

Lower Individual Costs of Car Ownership
A recent study by the Center for Neighborhood Technology (CNT) demonstrated that 18% of every dollar spent by the average American family is devoted to transportation. The bulk of this expenditure, almost 98%, is for the purchase, operation, and maintenance of automobiles. In some cities, the monthly expense for car ownership exceeds that for housing. For the poorest families, this cost can exceed one-third of after-tax income. In 2005, Chicago was 3rd in the report of most congested regions. You can find the actual numbers here: http://mobility.tamu.edu/ums/report.

Reduce Transportation Costs for Low-to-Moderate Income Families
In the City of Chicago, the Bureau of Labor Statistics, Consumer Expenditure Survey from 2003-2004 estimates that the average car owner spends $7512 per year in vehicle-related expenses. For many, this is just an unpleasant reality and a reduction of disposable income. For the disadvantaged, it can be an impediment to a reasonable quality-of-life. The economic impact of the growth in car ownership cannot be underestimated. From 1960 through 1999, outstanding credit for automobile purchases increased by 440 percent or 3.7 times faster than did transportation costs in the same period. During that period the portion of households owning at least one car rose from 74 to 91 percent while those owning at least two cars increased from 15 to 59 percent. Although not definitively causally related, the savings rate dropped from 7.5 percent to 2.2 percent over this time. A typical I-GO member spends about $2,520 per year. A number of studies in urban settings have shown that auto owners can achieve considerable savings by replacing a vehicle driven less than 6,000 miles per year with a car sharing membership. Car sharing participants can gain access to vehicles parked within easy walking distance of their homes virtually whenever they want it, enjoying almost all of the convenience of owning a car, but paying only for the amount that they actually use it.

Promote Physical Activity, Healthy Neighborhoods and Healthy Neighbors
Car sharing encourages walking because it "imposes some scheduling and accessibility constraints" and it externalizes the real incremental costs associated with transportation choice. One might add that car sharing membership brings to the surface the incremental benefits of transportation choice including personal health benefits. I-GO surveys show that one of these benefits to be heightened levels of walking among members. While the personal savings and environmental benefits of car sharing are well documented and advertised, the personal health benefits of the increasingly popular travel option, in the form of increased levels of walking, have been less fully explored. About half of Americans do not meet the Surgeon General's recommendation of at least 30 minutes of physical activity a day. The evidence suggests that one of the hidden benefits of car sharing could be help achieving this minimum health recommendation.

How it Works
Want to learn more about how I-GO works? It's easy!
Car sharing is a service that provides members with access to a fleet of vehicles on an hourly basis. Once you become a member (within 5-7 business days), you can reserve any car you like in advance and drive it for as long as your reservation. It is not like car pool because it is "yours" for that amount of time. It is not like car rental because you PAY BY THE HOUR. Therefore, the best and most cost-effective trips are those that are short in time and distance.

Step 1 Join

Joining I-GO is easy and affordable. The one-time membership fee is $75. Just click the "Join Today & Save" button. Be sure to take your Online Orientation after you apply!

Step 2 Reserve the car

Reserve a car via the web by entering your Member ID# and Pin # in the login box to the left. Or, you can call 773-278-4446 if you are out and about. These lines are constantly being handled quickly by a number of receptionists.

Step 3 Pick up the car

Our car are parked in easy, safe and accessible 24-hr reserved parking spots. No paperwork. No lines. Lucky for the residents of The Element, the car is right outside your door.

Step 4 Drive the car

Take your I-GO Smartcard with you to unlock the door. Hold the card over the sticker until you hear the doors unlock and the light on the card reader turns green. The keys are in the glove compartment! (Take the key with you during your trip and use YOUR KEY to lock and unlock the door.)

Step 5 Return the car

Return the car to the reserved parking spot. Insert the green fob (attached to key) into the fob holder in the glove compartment. Get out of the car and hold the Smartcard over the sticker until the door locks and the light on the card reader turns red.

If you are early, please call us to "release the balance" of your reservation and allow another member to use the car. If you are running late, please call us at least 15 minutes in advance of the end of your reservation so we can notify the next member. Fees may apply.

Step 6 Billing

Onboard computers tally the number of hours and miles that you drive on each trip that you take. The amount that you are charged for each trip is determined by what driving plan you are on. Your membership will be automatically renewed on your anniversary date.