A few major urban areas with high cost of ownership and good alternative options aside, a car is a self-compounding step out of poverty to most poor people and their problem with them is one of cost.
To tell these people that cars are their problem is tone deaf at best. They have a million bigger problems.
Exactly. When you're an educated, middle class white person, it's easy to say "ditch the car! just get a place near transit. makes it easy to ride downtown to your office job".
What about the poor people who can't afford to live near transit? Or have jobs nowhere near transit? A car is often a requirement for them. And sure, maybe they can take a bus with a couple transfers, but then their commute goes from 45 mins to 90 mins.
Clearly, millions of middle-class Japanese people get by perfectly without a car.
Eastern Europe and Russia is not as rich, of course, but too could be example of huge territory with millions of people living whole their lives without car ownership.
The op that started this didn't suggest people just ditch their cars. He suggested they try to improve their transportation infrastructure to make other modes of transport more of an option.
To tell these people that cars are their problem is tone deaf at best. They have a million bigger problems.