Avoiding car dependence in cities doesn't mean they will take away your car. It just means that I don't need to use a car to live there.
I don't really disagree with your overall stance, but those two do often go hand in hand. Perhaps that's why progress is slow on that front.
Then there is the whole issue that local city transportation is pretty lousy, even in Europe.
Sure big cities have it good on the innermost district, live a bit more on the outskirts or in a smaller town and taxi becomes the only option for those not willing to wait between 1-2h for each bus into each direction plus additional commute.
A 30m drive quickly turns into 2h.
There are cars specially tailored for people with disabilities, and electric wheelchairs are only practicable in sunny weather.
In the Netherlands, at least, electric wheelchairs are out in all weather.
You can wear a coat and rain trousers if you feel like it.
For example, in my city, for distances inside the urban core, bicycle is usually the fastest mode of transport, public transport is about 1.5x - 2x the bicycle (fine if you are feeling lazy), and car is 1.5x - 3x the bicycle depending on time of day and associated traffic levels.
Sure, if the weather is horrible and I am feeling lazy, I might use my car instead of jumping on the bike, but often after reaching my destination I'll realize that it wasn't really worth taking the car.