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I used to drive through an intersection on a quiet country road. Drivers on the other road had stop signs, but I could go right through. A new town was developed nearby, and traffic increased, and during busy periods, it became hard for drivers on the other road to get through the stop signs. Eventually they put in a four stop signs. But even when there was no traffic, I had to stop. And during busy periods, people began making up their own rules of precedence. Sometimes, three or four cars would go through at once. I knew it was a matter of time, and one day a crew started installing the poles for the traffic lights. So then, even when there was no traffic, I had to wait for the light. If people could have been a bit more orderly during busy periods, they wouldn't have had to wait for nothing at 11 PM.
I have come to the conclusion that we invite government regulation when we fail to regulate ourselves. By living the cheap gas lifestyle, we are failing in a big way. It would be preferable to find any other way to wean us off gasoline, but I don't think we can wait for the markets.
I can't see any politician backing gasoline taxes, unless it is part of his retirement speech, but some good first steps would be to eliminate special status for SUVs and trucks, and instituting extra taxes on vehicles that fall way outside CAFE standards.
Take your intersection example. The perfect low-tech solution to it would have been a roundabout. The roundabout right-of-way rules allow traffic to flow without the need for electricity to power the traffic lights. And you don't need to wait for the green light when there is no other traffic on the roundabout. But I guess roundabouts are not that popular in America.
You see the roundabout is an example of where a regulated solution does not hinder the users too much but still places a rigid structure that must be adhered to.
We need more 'roundabout' solutions to the coming energy crunch. Regulated solutions that allow individuals/organisations to innovate to reduce any hindrances. The best regulations should help to guide us, not force us, down a certain path.
To your point, I like some of the regulation proposed in this thread, much of which is much more rewarding to the thrifty than a gas tax. If the government simply stopped underwriting inefficient vehicles, that might induce thriftiness as much as any tax.