The vast majority of car trips are about 10km. A bicycle would work for most of them. I personally think that electric golf carts in major cities should be legalized. They'll be the ideal grocery getter, and short commuter vehicle. Speed is limited to 40km/h on them.
The car industry spends billions of dollars a year convincing people that cars are freedom. That you can drive anywhere and do anything in a car. Sadly the reality is that most of the time people are stuck in traffic or looking for a parking space, in cities. Once you start thinking out the car mentality, you realize you can hop on a train for a vacation, do most of your shopping close by if you live in a city.