Thanks to motorized oligarchs like Kerry Stemler, "We still pursue an elusive automobile paradise like a swamp-lost Conquistador seeking the Fountain of Youth."

Thirty years of European travel memories are inextricably linked with public transportation.

In all those years, there has been precisely one rental car, used to explore the Irish countryside. To be sure, I've hailed taxis and been a passenger in private vehicles, but in terms of distance traveled, it's probably less than 5% riding in a car.

For the remainder of those many kilometers, it has been trains, streetcars, subways, buses, bicycles, boats and my own two feet. Any time I've had the good fortune to be in a European city of any size, having use of a car simply wasn't necessary. Berlin in September is the most recent example.

For decades, it has been my view that the single greatest marketing innovation in American history was convincing people that automobiles serve as sex organ enhancements and libido extenders. Sheer brilliance, I say.

I just wish I didn't have to drive everywhere. Sex is great, and it's even better on a tram; after all, you can use your hands for something other than gripping the steering wheel. Just don't tell this to Kerry Stemler. He might start humping his car.

Joe Dunman: Will Louisville ever be a city of transit vision? (Insider Louisville)

 ... The Bridges Project was probably inevitable, but it should have been completed decades ago. Instead, nearly 15 years into the 21st century, Louisville is pouring resources into wider highways as if it was still the 1960s ...

 ... After all, the best way to alleviate vehicle traffic is to get people out of vehicles. Other modes of transportation like light rail, subways and suburban commuter rail are efficient, time-tested ways to move people around without clogging the streets (unlike buses, which contribute to traffic). And they’re easier on individual pocketbooks, too. Owning a car is expensive. Taxes, insurance, gasoline, maintenance and all the other related costs of driving are a major financial burden. With the threat of bridge tolls looming over cross-river commuters, driving continues to lose its liberating appeal in this age of stagnant wages.