Welcome to www.lessCARSinNEWYORK.com, a place where you can learn about flexible carpooling, have some fun, and chat about ways to reduce the traffic.

Flexible carpooling is a new way to get to work. It uses less fuel. It causes less tailpipe emissions. It requires much less spend on new roads and transit services. And it will reduce the traffic.

The Mayor of New York wants everyone to pay a toll to drive in Manhattan. We don't have an opinion either way about whether this is a good idea for New York, but we do know that a toll will reduce traffic because many people will avoid the toll by taking the bus or train or carpooling or even deciding to not make the trip. Those who make the trip anyway will pay money that will be used to fund the alternatives.

The problem with buses and trains is that they don't always go where (or when) we want them to. The problem with carpooling is that it is inflexible and inconvenient. If sharing rides was more convenient we think lots more people would do it. That's why we like this idea of flexible carpooling. It looks as if it will make sharing rides a much simpler alternative.

And the great thing about flexible carpooling is that it could be beneficial whether there are tolls or not, and might be able to be implemented more quickly than expanding the existing public transport network.

We'd like you to find out about flexible carpooling on this site. If you like the idea (or even if you don't) we'd like you to register on the site and tell us your views. If you like the idea and would use flexible carpooling, tell us the route that would work for you. And if you know someone else who drives to work in Manhattan, please forward the link to them