Argument 45

Argument 45:

The following appeared in a Letter to the Editor of the Shady Village newspaper. "Commuters are complaining that the rush hour traffic on Blue Highway between Shady Village and Bright City has doubled their commuting time. Some commuters have asked that an additional traffic lane be built, but the recent creation of such a lane on nearby Green Highway apparently attracted more commuters, judging from the fact that rush-hour traffic jams actually increased there this past winter. To reduce rush-hour traffic on Blue Highway, a bicycle lane should be added instead of a traffic lane. This approach will succeed because many citizens of Shady Village are avid bicyclists; 75 percent of respondents to a recent questionnaire distributed there said they would like to bicycle more hours per week than they currently do."

My writing:

The conclusion of the letter is that building a new bicycle lane is a better approach to solve the traffic problem between Shady Village and Bright City. I find this conclusion questionable in several points.

To begin with, the letter claims that the traffic problem, which the commuters complained about, may be solved by creation a traffic lane because this seems effective on Green Highway in the past winter. The reader use this example to infer that there is a need of a new traffic lane. But I have a different interpretation. Just because the success on Green Highway doesn't mean that it will work on the Blue Highway. The environment, demography, and the terrain may be whole different.

Second, the reader suggests that a bicycle lane is better than a traffic lane because the population of bicyclists increased gradually. I have another point of view. It is one thing to have more bicyclists, but it is quite another to have less cars on the road in the rush hour. Bicyclists usually ride bikes to take a trip on the weekend, not go to office at all. Thus, if the government builds a new bicycle lane instead of a traffic lane, the problem may still remain.

Third, the suggestion uses the result of a recent questionnaire to support his idea that there are more and more bicyclists in Shady Village. But, I wonder how large the sample size is. If it is three thousand, then the 75percentage is significant. If it is only one hundred in a community, then the 75 percentage is insignificant. Therefore, the result of the questionnaire may mean nothing.

Conclusion, the claims of the letter is not a reasonable one. The best approach to solve the traffic problems may lie on the research to the communist and the traffic situation, the changes of regulations, and the more considerations.