I agree that there was / is a conspiracy against public transportation, manufactured by lobbyists for big oil, automobile manufacturers, and other related industries. And with the petrodollar being a primary means of financial control, it stands to reason that they'd encourage consumption.

The author criticizes the "sprawling landscape that zoning has created" and the basic need for an automobile living in America. I think he's neglected the basic fact that living in a rural area is going to require transportation, which really can't be provided by public transit.

Another important thing he didn't mention is the freedom and autonomy provided by the personal vehicle. With public transit you are fixed to a set timetable and route, and there may be areas that you can't get to. Having a car lets you go wherever you want whenever you want (well, as long as there's a road), something we often take for granted. I think in the future there will be a big push to move people to self-driving cars, initially through insurance hikes and propaganda ("who would be selfish enough to risk other people's lives with a manually driven car?") which will attempt to take away that autonomy.