The only smart excuse I could come up with would be that parking is cheaper at work than at home? 😅 My current job is only like 6km away and I still drive there usually, but mostly because street parking is like $4/hour during working hours, whereas I have free parking at work.

A fully acceptable reason for someone to become an ex, though I assume there were many other reasons as well.

Nah, I feel like you're really reaching. Walking is an innate characteristic of all humans. One of the defining characteristics, some say. That poor people walk in Houston is not a revelation. However, it is unconsciously making cars an instrument of punishment for the poor (forced to walk in a car-dominated hellscape), that is the dipshit behavior, and hell yes I'll judge Americans all day for being so cruel. It's anything but innate; you can't choose your skin color or sexual orientation, but you certainly can choose not to scream about removing a few street parking spots for an important bike lane.

The observation that Americans don't walk unless it's a special event comes from a lifetime of observing my fellow Americans. Hell, I watch my neighbors drive 4 blocks to the grocery store almost daily.