Isn't that what people mean when they say that cars are the problem? With a personal vehicle, all you need is a road and you can start from any point on the road and stop at any point. That means people and shops can be as spread out as they want. This leads to sprawl which perpetuates the problem as cars (or other motor vehicles) become necessary for any meaningful distance.
Edit: when people advocate to remove cars, I take it as removing cars as a viable option of transport and then designing the roads, public transport, facility placement, etc to make that a reality.
Edit: when people advocate to remove cars, I take it as removing cars as a viable option of transport and then designing the roads, public transport, facility placement, etc to make that a reality.