The UK has a reasonably good public transport network though it's horribly over-priced since privatisation, especially trains.
try getting stuff back from ikea with kids
what about plumbers and tradespeople
sure you can rent a car but then you are talking £££
just because it worked for you does not mean everyone else could follow suit
I can tell you for certain that kids and ikea can be handled, and are handled, without the need for a car, where the culture supports it.
Plumbers and tradespeople (and who else) are a small part of the population. That is not representative, especially considering that nobody's talking about banning cars completely.
I don't doubt that in a city without good public transport and bike support the activies above are practically impossible.
Ultimately, it depends on the direction a given culture wants to point to.
sure you can rent a car but then you are talking £££
Owning a car costs, and not little. So very general statement like this don't make much sense.