h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

I've been doing a lot of driving lately and I'm fed up. Cars must go. Besides the always irritating road rage, actual concerns for life on this planet do come to mind. I am not advocating a return to the wild, but I am suggesting some cultural evolution. The wheel was invented thousands of years ago (anyone know the precise date? and was it an accident? Who took the credit? (probably the Sumerians they were taking the credit for everything back then) I bet the Chinese invented the damned thing first but we only found out they had it yesterday.) Now generations of engineers, politician, and CEO's have spent a lot of time and money making the world a better place for wheels to live. Flattened landscapes. broad plains of asphalt for parking, large private suites for storage, the list goes on. May I suggest thet we move on. Like the idea of a nation state, it is time to put the car and it's wheels into the dustbin of history where it belongs. Technology should be about innovation and advancement,not a new and refined leather interior, with faux wood paneling, and computerized climate control.
Cars, and the world that we have built for them (Have you ever tried crossing a six lane highway to get to the corner store on the other side that used to be part of your neighborhood) are destroying our communities and our health, as well as causing great harm to our fellow travellers on this earth. In the next installments of my journal I will be dicussing some of the current trends in urban planning and some new ideas in the battle against sprawl. The most important step however is admitting to ourselves, as in the case of any addiction, that the car, which used to give us pleasure and independence has taken over our lives. The price we are paying socially, economically, and ecologically is too severe, and we must make some changes to regain control. Any of your contributions are welcome.