I own a car in an eminently walkable neighborhood. I considered doing without one (feasible but not always convenient) before buying my 1982 Mercedes 240D. Evacuation was the deciding factor in favor of car ownership. I help neighbors without cars out once or twice a month.

The Key is NOT ownership but miles driven

I drive 150 to 180 miles/month and could reduce that to 30 to 75 miles/month. At 31 mpg city, this is sustainable deep into post-Peak Oil. I could drive a Hummer and still be more sustainable than many Prius drivers.

Best Hopes for less driving,

Alan

The single most important determinant of car use is car ownership.

Seven hundred Americans will die in road crashes this week. Over 52,000 will be injured. Many of these will never walk again.

Children in NA spend 95% of their time enclosed. The car is their mobile jail cell.

Quite the social experiment.