I know one long term goal of statists like Baraq is to get people out of cars (hard to control) and into public transportation (more easily controlled).
It appears they have loaded so many straws on the camel’s back it may be working...
They are willing to wait until the older generation - who is not very malleable in its approach to freedom of movement - either dies out (thanks to rationed healthcare) or simply loses positions of authority. The newer generation is already indoctrinated to entrust all their secret thoughts to Twitbook, carry an iPhone with GPS that reports back to the mothership, and ride a bus (or a bicycle.) Since youngsters do not earn much they are not paying much taxes either, which helps with the early adoption of the new cabal. Older people will be relegated to chasing kids off of their lawns.
A nation without cars will be an imprisoned nation. Perhaps this is not so in densely populated Europe. However this country is large. In case of any "unfortunate events" the public transit will be shut down, and then peasants can't enter or leave the "affected area" until the army - that has access to every form of transport - is done with "the problem."