Really interesting article, and some of the comments made me chuckle.
Private car ownership in large cities is, I believe, on a permanent downward spiral. Car sharing schemes like Zipcar are providing a niche for the occasion when a car or van is required. Many of my friends have a driving license but no car and absolutely no intention of getting one - as a car owner I am in the minority, and would happily join them if I didn't have a "requirement" for a car for my work (work think I need a car to do my job, I argue I can use trains, hire cars and Zipcar and save money. They disagree, and ultimately pay my salary and car allowance).
I always laugh about the "no other option" argument. Firstly, because the real poorest in the UK actually are the ones with no option because of the car-centric nature of our transport policies, Secondlyt because the options exist but are made unpalatable because those very car owners have been gifted almost the whole asset of our road system and would be the first to complain if this asset was started to be taken from them. They don't want alternatives because they want to sit on their arses in a nice comfortable car and woe-betide anyone who challenges that.
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