The thing is the infrastructure has been long established where the transition to more commuters using public transit is going to take a long time. In LA, they are putting in more public transit options, but the reality is most people commute too long of distances to their jobs for it to be practical to utilize it. So, these options will only be practical for a small population. Otherwise, your options are: 1) Drive an hour in traffic or 2) Spend 3+ hours on public transit (but in a cramped bus). What's your pick for the daily? This also limits your freedom (yep I said it.) to get groceries or do other errands with the little time you have after work which would add additional time to your commute.
Are you American? Your perspective seems a little overgeneralized than reality. Don't get me wrong gas consumption is certainly an issue here. Hopefully Tesla drives the auto industry in the right direction.