The arguments against excessive personal car use are legion. Cars cause traffic and congestion. They suck up so many of our finite natural resources, and the environmental consequences are devastating. They're expensive to run and they take up huge amounts of space for a small amount of passengers. We could go on.

Of course, it goes without saying there are plenty of practical advantages to cars as well, from their economic benefits to their usefulness in any number of situations. Nonetheless, there are very clear reasons why city planners and transport officials are so keen to minimize the amount of cars on their roads at any given time, instead trying to promote public transport at every opportunity.

It's all summed up elegantly in this four frame .gif which compares the amount of space occupied by a few dozen drivers in cars compared to the same amount of passengers in a tram. It's a simple but effective summarisation of many of the arguments against solo commuting. You might not agree with the message they articulates, but at least the moving images are hypnotic:

Image source: Peterfromtexas