The downside is that it gives the impression that ‘Happy Motoring’ can continue on the scale it is now. It won’t – and the transition away from it will be ugly – but it’s a sign of what might be possible at the margins. After all, if you were designing a transport system from scratch, you wouldn’t design it around the car – and that’s effectively the situation we’ll be in after Peak Oil really kicks in. Cars will once more be for the rich; most people will take the train. Or walk. Or cycle…