I am very surprised that the US version of the Smart Car is less efficient than the European one, as they look pretty much identical. Any explanations for this? I like Nostradamus’ idea of a levy on size of vehicle, except you’d need to exempt commercial vehicles. And I totally agree with fat-lazy-union about how big an engine really needs to be just to get you from A to B. These are largely treating the symptoms and not the cause. LA is a prime examples of need outweighing luxury. The vast suburban expanse that seems to continue forever out into the desert, and has become a byword for ‘commuting’. Places like Pasadena have already started to counter this with apartment developments. One in particular, the Metro Line runs right through the middle of it. So you can catch the train to work from your front door, and walk to down town shops, and restaurants. Building up instead of out seems a good way to concentrate populations to reduce the need for travel. But as some have suggested, it will also reduce congestion. I’m not so sure. Seems likely to transfer it to another location.