Yes there will always be a need for tools powered by motors. Drills, cars, blenders. So what?
A better question is the individual ownership of cars. In many countries where auto ownership is rare there are extensive private taxi, bus and van services. Even in New York City there are semi legal van services. These are opposed by governments that like their monopolies. One problem with bicycle activists is they like "mass transportation", which usually means infrequent service along a small number of routes by people who are paid way better than the people in the back of the bus who work for a government monopoly.
As far as the distances you site, people would live nearer to where they regularly need to go, if they were not restricted from doing so by especially laws including zoning laws.
Last edited by geo8rge; 08-29-09 at 09:41 AM.