Dec 2019) Elon Musk Dismisses Induced Demand, A Phenomenon First Witnessed In 1866 – Forbes
Carlton Reid Dec 29, 2019
Elon Musk has once again used Twitter to air a controversial opinion. This time the SpaceX and Tesla billionaire has upset urbanists with his dismissal of a phenomenon that was first described in 1866.
On December 29, Musk tweeted that: “Induced demand is one of the most irrational theories I’ve ever heard.”
This was in response to critics who had pointed out that his earlier tweet—“Build super safe, Earthquake-proof tunnels under cities to solve traffic”—was merely describing a subway tunnel.
Musk later added: “If the transport system exceeds public travel needs, there will be very little traffic.”
There is very little empirical evidence for this claim, and copious evidence to the contrary, especially in Southern California, where Musk lives, and where the laying down of generous amounts of asphalt has always stimulated motor-vehicle use. (Electric cars get snarled in traffic just as easily as non-electric cars.)
