The average American commuting by car is already spending an hour a day doing it.

Even if the commuter has to spend the same time on transit, they have time to relax, read, work etc.

This is ignoring the strides we can make with bike infrastructure which provides excercise along with the commute, even in low density suburban areas. Or encouraging remote work, which eliminates the commute entirely and frees up much more time.

It's an immense amount of time because of urban sprawl and the cars that enable it.

So if you can't afford to live downtown, you should be disconnected from the city altogether, rather than having a reasonable way to get to it?

Sprawl exists because people want to be connected to cities without paying downtown luxury condo rents, and it's the only viable option (considering public school quality, neighborhood safety, etc.) we're being given.

The ridiculous prices in many urban cores is driven by the same supply constraints that cause urban sprawl.

When the only place where zoning and planning boards allow density is a relatively tiny downtown, surrounded by low density development, it's no surprise prices shoot through the roof.

> Sprawl exists because people want to be connected to cities without paying downtown luxury condo rents, and it's the only viable option (considering public school quality, neighborhood safety, etc.) we're being given.

That's a very America centric view.

So we already moved the discussion from subway cars being uncomfortable because you have to stand and being smelly (or something) to it taking a lot of time.

Well it turns out driving takes a long time too, but you're really just being a moving couch potato.