Analysis of an argument - Highway expansion

Analysis of an argument

"In addition last year of two lanes to the existing Highway 41 business loop in Hortonville was a mistake. Since the addition of lanes, arrests for traffic violations in downtown Hortonville have increased, and the homes located adjacent to the highway have decreased in value. Watertown should pay close attention to the example of Hortonville and oppose the proposed expansion of highway in Watertown."


The argument is flawed that its conclusion does not follow the evidence provided. The newspaper alludes to the correlation between traffic violations and the addition of lanes without discussing about the process that was put in place for traffic management. It also does not provide adequate proof that the reduction in home rates is due to the traffic snarls.
Before drawing parallels between Watertown and Hortonville highway, we must compare if both of them are indeed similar situations. The newspaper does not provide the vital statistics like population of humans and vehicles, peak hour traffic and rate of traffic violations. We must consider these information before we ought to compare the situations of both the highways.
We must also consider the effort put on traffic regulation after the highway was expanded in Hortonville. The increase in traffic snarls can also be attributed to poor traffic regulation. Also, the argument that the value of homes have decreased due to traffic snarls is flawed that the assumption of correlation proves causation. No concrete data was presented to support this assumption.
The extension of highway of Watertown should be properly planned with the help of statistical data pertaining to human and traffic population and peak hour traffic. The care that goes into the implementation of the project should also be given to the enforcement of the traffic regulations once the project is over. With proper planning, implementation and enforcement, extension of Watertown highway can be a success.


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