[read_wharf]

All good points, but one size doesn't fit all. Without details, I'll say that a) I'm physically incapable of biking that far (although years ago I could think about it), and b) my life and schedule intersect with other people before and after work. A car allows me that intersection. Or to put it another way, that intersection (which is all but mandatory) dictates that if I have that job over there then it must involve a car.

Bikes and public transport are great when it works, and I'd love to take the bus or train, but the metro region and jobs and me are laid out the way they are, and that's (all but) that.