I came across an excellent paragraph today on the website ecogeek.org:

“In Europe, where petrol prices are several times higher than the U.S., small, efficient cars are the norm. But there’s also an accompanying tradition of good mast transit, walkable cities, and a support for cycling. Perhaps a spike in fuel prices is just what we need in the U.S. We’ll be forced to stop developing sprawl, which in turn increases gas consumption, pollutes our air, causes global warming, and perhaps kills us all.”

Well spoken!