You are right in pointing this out Steve: extreme grannies can't always be sacrificed. I must confess that my choice was also motivated by the fact that I commute every day using my LHT and that there are lots of stop signs and red lights on the way. Compressed gear ratios allow for faster accelerations also.
Other side effects that are OT to the OP question but maybe still worth of note:
I use more of my sprockets and chainrings on a regular basis than most other setups allow and so they wear off somewhat more evenly/last longer;
this setup allows for the use of a short cage rear derailleur which shifts faster, smoother and with more precision.