> My point is not about vacations, or Mars trips, but precisely about regular commute. I'll set aside for a moment how you seem to think that the only reason t

> My point is not about vacations, or Mars trips, but precisely about regular commute. I'll set aside for a moment how you seem to think that the only reason to leave the city is for a vacation. My point is that there is a tremendous benefit to people being able to choose precisely where they want to live and work, and that the car is the means to that end with the fewest limitations. More people could probably take mass routes in larger vehicles, especially if bicycle racks became larger and common enough to rely on, but that won't diminish the value of the car, even for a commute. Cities also seem dead-set on installing trams and subways, when buses clearly offer the best bang for the buck (but nobody likes to say that they ride the bus, probably because buses are unloved). Personally I think the more effective route is to encourage less commuting altogether, which would be an obvious natural effect if the roads were on the market, but in practice it would have to take the form of a "credit". Some companies (e.g. Microsoft) have company shuttles, those could be encouraged as well (since roads are not on the market, and thus do not encourage pooling).