There are also a lot of people who believe they have no choice, or say they don't, when they have an abundance of choice, but for whatever reason decide that the car is the "only viable option". I know from whence I speak - I used to be one of those people who would have needed to have their car keys prised from their cold, dead hands before giving up the car. Now if I had to run my own car (as opposed to company car) I don't think I would (although I would belong to a car club).
I heard on a radio phone in a few months ago a litany of hysterical motorists complaining that they had no choice. This was on a London station, so one would assume they are inside the M25 and not in the highlands of Scotland. One mother announced that she now had to choose between feeding her children or using that money to take them to school via car. Utterly hysterical nonsense which, tellingly, wasn't even challenged by the radio presenters. If one actually thinks you have to choose between feeding the children or taking them in the car to school then you have lost your mind.
Despite the fuel prices, I am not seeing many people on the motorways going at 56mph to conserve fuel - or indeed sticking much to 70mph. I am not seeing people driving carefully to maximise fuel consumption. In fact I not really seeing much to indicate that people are having to really think about fuel prices much at all. Sure, the cost of fuel has gone up, and many motorists don't like it. But instead of saying they are paying more for fuel, but they still choose to drive and want to moan about it (which sounds crap) they construct a narrative about lack of choice other than using a car. What they really are saying is that "sure, fuel has gone up and I am spending more, but it isn't enough for me to consider living my life slightly differently to reduce my consumption".
Fuel is still cheap enough for supermarkets to be more efficient in their distribution chains by taking produce from the West country to huge hubs around M25 / Birmingham and then send it back down to Exeter as opposed to implementing more localised distribution. It is still cheap enough for those supermarkets to locate out of town with no transport links other than the car and get people to pay to shop there through fuel costs in getting there. Office and industrial estates are still being built with virtually no accessibility via public transport because "everyone drives". The whole thing becomes somewhat self-perpetuating, and actually generates some of the characteristics of our urban and suburban environment with which we are least happy.
