Although the motorists certainly get a great deal of gov't subsidies (roads built, expensive wars to protect their already subsidized fuel supplies, etc.), the biggest subsidy that motorists frequently get from their employers is subsidized parking. At an average monthly rate of $150 in Portland (higher in many other cities I'm sure), a free parking space is worth 6x more that the measly $25 per month I get to ride my bicycle. And a parking space in the downtown area costs approximately $20K to provide, let alone maintain; and then there are the costs of the lost development opportunities associated with all the downtown property tied up for motor vehicle storage (parking). And this doesn't even include the costs of motor vehicle ownership. So, if you do a detailed analysis, I think that the economics of commuting by motor vehicle really suck all around, both for the individual and for society at large. I think it would be far less expensive to build a good transit system and let people ride for free, or to give everyone a free bicycle to ride!