Next time you are too tired or lazy to walk down Chicago Avenue for some groceries, think again. All you have to do is walk to the Garrett Seminary parking lot and hop in a car. Or sign up to get on a list to rent a car that could potentially be shared with thousands of others.

Northwestern recently sent a campuswide e-mail advertising I-GO, a car sharing service that will provide students with access to a 2006 Honda Civic Hybrid. Faculty, staff and students who sign up for the service by May 22 will receive a discount of $50 off the regular $125 membership fee. The car will be available for personal errands, but all costs of a trip must be paid by the member who reserves the car.

How much can an entire campus of thousands of people benefit from one car? Car sharing is a good idea in theory – parking is scarce in Evanston, and most students don’t need their own cars at school. But one car will not make much of a difference, especially if thousands of students have to share it.

There are also several cost-efficient alternatives to renting the lone campus car. A cab ride around Evanston costs only a few dollars, and walking a mile or two never hurt anyone.

We don’t understand what the university is attempting to accomplish with this service. Is this program fully developed, or is this a pilot program? It’s nice that everyone can access a borrowed vehicle, but this program needs to be expanded before it can be useful to the NU community.