Thank you for sharing these articles. It is important that people start thinking in terms of "total costs" and include time as a factor (even beyond just to have a car or not) when making lifestyle and financial decisions.
I know I could earn more working in Columbus proper, but when I figure the price of gasoline, maintenance, time, city taxes (Lewis Center has no income tax, my city is just now 1.85%) and etc I would lose time and money. Unfortunately, my house is not very liquid either, so picking up and moving close is not an option (plus real estate taxes would be $1k+ higher than what I pay now).
Fortunately, my commute is a relatively short 11 miles each way or about $4.00 a workday (car averages 23.5mpg). Two people at my company live within a mile of me and we started car pooling. Thus, I drive every 3rd week. I will admit, car pooling can be difficult sometimes if you have errands to run or need to stay late, but the overall cost savings make it worth it.
(Edit: I should note that all three of my cars are paid for, I have less than $11,000 (including repairs) invested in the cars. And, I do all of my own service work as a personal hobby).