On Sept. 7, the State College Borough Council approved a $13,000 plan to calm traffic in the Highlands neighborhood. The plan will include the narrowing of travel lanes to 10 feet on South Garner Street from Westerly Parkway to Beaver Avenue from the current width of over 11 feet. Eight 3.5-inch speed humps will also be placed on Foster, Prospect and Hamilton avenues.

The speed humps will be installed because data collected in an October 2004 speed study showed that cars traveled an average of 10 mph over the 25-mph speed limit on all the roads studied except on Foster Avenue.

The decision to implement this plan resulted from a survey of 185 residents, of which 53.5 percent were in favor of the plan. The problem with the plan was that it was conducted in July, when most students were gone for the summer.

While it's likely that the result of the plan will be beneficial and will reduce speeding on the narrow streets throughout the Highlands neighborhood, the lack of student input is disturbing.

Though a transient population, student input should be as important as permanent resident input because we live in the area and comprise a portion of the traffic throughout the school year.

Yes, it's true that students may not have responded to the survey in overwhelming numbers, but it's hard to say what the result would have been since they weren't given the opportunity. A forthright attempt would seem to be within the realm of feasibility. And the result of the survey may or may not have changed had it been conducted during the school year, but the voice of students would have at least been heard.

Surely there must have been an opportunity to release a survey prior to the summer months that could have addressed the concerns of both students and residents who live in and drive through the Highlands area.

Instead, the survey was sent out during the summer, a time when many residents may have been on vacation during the time the survey was mailed out. Whether students were deliberately excluded or not moot because they were effectively left out of the decision making process.

What's done is done.

But despite the fact that traffic concerns have been on the minds of many State College's permanent residents for a long period of time now, perhaps a student, had they been asked, would have been able to help create another viable solution to the problem. No, we may not be living in the area for more than four or five years at the most, but we do live in the area now. All that we ask is that you attempt to include us in the decision making process in a greater capacity.