The Rising Influence of Rising Affluence

[10nisman]

less car ownership/higher utilization = fewer cars on road
fewer cars = fewer traffic jams

Fewer cars on the road may not be true. For people that do not drive or own a car (i.e., older people, city dwellers, etc.) may now use cars that they previously did not (currently using public transit, buses, etc.). This could lead to significant traffic issues in larger cities that already have less than ideal traffic (i.e., Chicago, etc.).

For example, if 3,000 people work in an office building with 2,500 people using public transportation (train, buses, etc.) today an additional 2,500 cars (or anything in that ballpark) heading to that office building around the same time will lead to massive traffic jams in a city. And this is just with respect to one office building.