It seems that State College wants to spend $5 million to improve traffic congestion on Park Avenue ("Committee plans to widen Park Ave.," March 17). What traffic congestion are they talking about?

I used to live in both Los Angeles and Northern Virginia, both of which are widely regarded as having the worst traffic congestion in the nation. The "congestion" along Park Avenue is nothing in comparison. One of the reasons why I was so happy to move back to State College for graduate school was because I never have to sit in traffic, and if I do, it's for just a couple minutes during the evening rush hour.

Maybe the plan will alleviate this imaginary "congestion" along Park Avenue, but spending $5 million on a project that will save commuters five minutes at most seems like a glaring example of fiscal irresponsibility. Wake up, State College, you don't realize how good you have it here. Go live in a major city for a couple years and see how you like your hellish commute; you'll come back and call this place heaven in comparison.