While the number of Bitcoin block chain transactions is increasing, their total value is not.[1] Volume in US dollars has declined slightly over the last year. We may be past "peak Bitcoin".<p>If blocks fill up, transactions with higher fees get through first. So the free market will solve this problem when necessary. It's in the interest of miners that fees go up, and the big miners control the block size, so a block size increase is unlikely.<p>Bitcoin's block reward halves next year, which instantly halves mining income. Bitcoin was designed so that when it became large enough, fees would support mining. Next year, fees become more important, and pressure for higher fees will increase. The system is functioning as designed.<p>[1] <a href="https://blockchain.info/charts/estimated-transaction-volume-usd" rel="nofollow">https://blockchain.info/charts/estimated-transaction-volume-...</a>