All that might be possible. Maybe, but it will take more time.
> What's stopping them from leaving a car just off the island and using public transit on it?
You end up with the expenses of a car commute with the reliability, cost, and flexibility of a train commute. It probably has the costs of both commutes put together.
Actually having dependable bus routes in outer burroughs would help. My vote would be for chartering private bus routes, but I'm not sure how politically viable that would be.
> What's stopping them from leaving a car just off the island and using public transit on it?
You end up with the expenses of a car commute with the reliability, cost, and flexibility of a train commute. It probably has the costs of both commutes put together.
Actually having dependable bus routes in outer burroughs would help. My vote would be for chartering private bus routes, but I'm not sure how politically viable that would be.