A question from Yahoo! Answers:

How high will the price of gasoline be until you decide to ride a bus, train or a bike to work each morning?

In these times we must rethink our dependence and addiction to our automobiles. Think of all the gas you can save, the CO2 emissions you can stop. In some cities your commute might even be faster by public transportation. Just give it a try.

Dig deeper. If we indeed must rethink our addictions, automobile is only one of them, and far from the most important. In an economy where transportation is expensive because of high fuel cost, people must live closer to work. Thus, one of the most important addictions to rethink is the addiction to a single-family home in suburbs; with high fuel costs, the ‘burbs are viable only for retirees who don’t have to go to work every morning. The working population will have to shift back into the cities and live in high-rise apartment buildings or condominiums.

You may want to read Paul Krugman’s article titled “Getting Ahead: White Collars Turn Blue“. The imaginary person on behalf of whom it is written lives in 2096 and reviews the world as it was 100 years prior to his times.