Witkar
Encyclopedia
The Witkar was one of the first technology-based carsharing
projects in the world. It is the invention of Dutch social inventor and politician Luud Schimmelpennink
, an industrial designer and at the time Amsterdam
city councilor. The project was opened by minister Irene Vorrink
on 21 March 1974.
The first actual Witkar project took place in Amsterdam between 1974 and 1986. While it provided daily service for more than four thousand registered users over those years, the project never got beyond the limited demonstration phase due to a lack of support by government.
The system was initially conceived in 1969 by Schimmelpennink in order to reduce traffic in central Amsterdam, but it failed to win the support of the City Council and was spun off to be developed by a specially formed co-operative society. The co-operative managed to raise loans of US$ 250,000 for the first phase though 1974. This included the design and construction of the vehicles, the purchase of a PDP-11
mini-computer for the central control system, development of the control software, and construction of the first 35 cars and five stations. A further 10 stations were scheduled for operation by the end of 1976, by which time the fleet should be extended to 100 vehicles. The ultimate target was 150 stations and 1000 vehicles, but as a result of lack of government support this never happened.
The core of the Witkar concept is that of people sharing small environmentally acceptable vehicles specially designed for urban use. It was seen by Schimmelpennink and his team as a way to wean people away from conventional car ownership and use, on the grounds that such vehicles have no place in densely settled cities.
These were specially designed electric vehicles. They had two seats, and offered little luxury. They were very easy to recognize. The vehicles were located around the city in pods. In Amsterdam 35 of these cars were available to hire from five stations in the city centre. The original system was designed for fully automatic control, including direct debit of hirers' accounts at the Amsterdam Savings Bank.
The idea was that any person could take a Witkar, and leave it at the Witkar station closest to his destination. The initiators thought that the flow of traffic to and from these stations would allow for an even spread of Witkarren (the Dutch plural of Witkar) . The system actually operated. The problems were several: the vehicles needed long recharging times, so many were needed to have some on the road all the time. The biggest problem was that the flow of traffic was generally in one direction. As a result of this, some stations were always full, and others always empty. To correct this by moving Witkarren would have caused a lot of extra traffic.
As of this date (January 2007), Schimmelpennink and his associates are planning a new Witkar program for Amsterdam, where he has recently (March 2006) been re-elected to the Municipal Council.
Carsharing
Car sharing or Carsharing is a model of car rental where people rent cars for short periods of time, often by the hour. They are attractive to customers who make only occasional use of a vehicle, as well as others who would like occasional access to a vehicle of a different type than they use...
projects in the world. It is the invention of Dutch social inventor and politician Luud Schimmelpennink
Luud Schimmelpennink
Laurens Maria Hendrikus Schimmelpennink is a Dutch social inventor, industrial designer, entrepreneur and politician. As of 2007 he is Managing Director of the [Ytech Innovation Centre] in Amsterdam...
, an industrial designer and at the time Amsterdam
Amsterdam
Amsterdam is the largest city and the capital of the Netherlands. The current position of Amsterdam as capital city of the Kingdom of the Netherlands is governed by the constitution of August 24, 1815 and its successors. Amsterdam has a population of 783,364 within city limits, an urban population...
city councilor. The project was opened by minister Irene Vorrink
Irene Vorrink
Irene Vorrink was a PvdA politician. She was Minister of Health in the cabinet Den Uyl ....
on 21 March 1974.
The first actual Witkar project took place in Amsterdam between 1974 and 1986. While it provided daily service for more than four thousand registered users over those years, the project never got beyond the limited demonstration phase due to a lack of support by government.
The system was initially conceived in 1969 by Schimmelpennink in order to reduce traffic in central Amsterdam, but it failed to win the support of the City Council and was spun off to be developed by a specially formed co-operative society. The co-operative managed to raise loans of US$ 250,000 for the first phase though 1974. This included the design and construction of the vehicles, the purchase of a PDP-11
PDP-11
The PDP-11 was a series of 16-bit minicomputers sold by Digital Equipment Corporation from 1970 into the 1990s, one of a succession of products in the PDP series. The PDP-11 replaced the PDP-8 in many real-time applications, although both product lines lived in parallel for more than 10 years...
mini-computer for the central control system, development of the control software, and construction of the first 35 cars and five stations. A further 10 stations were scheduled for operation by the end of 1976, by which time the fleet should be extended to 100 vehicles. The ultimate target was 150 stations and 1000 vehicles, but as a result of lack of government support this never happened.
The core of the Witkar concept is that of people sharing small environmentally acceptable vehicles specially designed for urban use. It was seen by Schimmelpennink and his team as a way to wean people away from conventional car ownership and use, on the grounds that such vehicles have no place in densely settled cities.
These were specially designed electric vehicles. They had two seats, and offered little luxury. They were very easy to recognize. The vehicles were located around the city in pods. In Amsterdam 35 of these cars were available to hire from five stations in the city centre. The original system was designed for fully automatic control, including direct debit of hirers' accounts at the Amsterdam Savings Bank.
The idea was that any person could take a Witkar, and leave it at the Witkar station closest to his destination. The initiators thought that the flow of traffic to and from these stations would allow for an even spread of Witkarren (the Dutch plural of Witkar) . The system actually operated. The problems were several: the vehicles needed long recharging times, so many were needed to have some on the road all the time. The biggest problem was that the flow of traffic was generally in one direction. As a result of this, some stations were always full, and others always empty. To correct this by moving Witkarren would have caused a lot of extra traffic.
As of this date (January 2007), Schimmelpennink and his associates are planning a new Witkar program for Amsterdam, where he has recently (March 2006) been re-elected to the Municipal Council.
See also
- AmsterdamAmsterdamAmsterdam is the largest city and the capital of the Netherlands. The current position of Amsterdam as capital city of the Kingdom of the Netherlands is governed by the constitution of August 24, 1815 and its successors. Amsterdam has a population of 783,364 within city limits, an urban population...
- Car-freeCar-freeCar-free can refer to several things:*Pedestrian zones*Car-free movement...
- CarsharingCarsharingCar sharing or Carsharing is a model of car rental where people rent cars for short periods of time, often by the hour. They are attractive to customers who make only occasional use of a vehicle, as well as others who would like occasional access to a vehicle of a different type than they use...
- Dutch politics
- Green transport
- Luud SchimmelpenninkLuud SchimmelpenninkLaurens Maria Hendrikus Schimmelpennink is a Dutch social inventor, industrial designer, entrepreneur and politician. As of 2007 he is Managing Director of the [Ytech Innovation Centre] in Amsterdam...
- ParatransitParatransitParatransit is an alternative mode of flexible passenger transportation that does not follow fixed routes or schedules. Typically mini-buses are used to provide paratransit service, but also share taxis and jitneys are important providers....
- Shared transportShared transportShared transport is a term for describing a demand-driven vehicle-sharing arrangement, in which travelers share a vehicle either simultaneously or over time Shared transport is a term for describing a demand-driven vehicle-sharing arrangement, in which travelers share a vehicle either...
- Sustainable citySustainable cityA sustainable city, or eco-city is a city designed with consideration of environmental impact, inhabited by people dedicated to minimization of required inputs of energy, water and food, and waste output of heat, air pollution - CO2, methane, and water pollution...
- Sustainable transportation
- White Plans