It's absolutely shitty. You could just refer to it as the automobile industrial complex.
The American lifestyle relies on cars. I live less than 10 miles from my work and have to drop my daughter off at school on the way. Just taking the bus to work adds an hour to my trip, not to mention there is no public transit that will get me within a mile of her school in an hour. The entire routine would cost 2 hours daily and be more expensive than driving. This is not to mention that I need a car for work. Regardless of all these facts, I still need to use roads and bridges.