This long, costly, time consuming commuting travesty is a relatively new phenomenon, at least from my 60 year perspective. We chose work and chose to live close to our chosen employment when choice was an option.

The after tax operating cost of owning a car is simply a stupid, wasteful and a disgusting, environmental, degrading practice that won't stop until government and employers feel the pain of the cost currently borne solely by employees. Tax deductible costs and a painfully, high, tax free, mandatory, commuting allowance will be the beginning of  the solution to the problem. The silly little carbon tax on gasoline is merely a tax grab, nothing more.

Until then, government and employers couldn't care less about grid lock, your cost, waste or the environment.