POTSDAM, New York (WWNY) – Walking or biking along roadways can be dangerous, but a Clarkson University project is looking to make it safer for people sharing the road with vehicles in Canton and Potsdam.
Caeden Bailey is hard at work. While cars pass him by at high speeds, he’s working on designing a safe way for pedestrians and cyclists to commute alongside the road.
That’s the goal of the complete streets project that Caeden and his fellow students are working on in both the towns and villages of Potsdam and Canton.
The project is led by Clarkson University professor Erik Backus who wants to make sure roads are as safe as possible for commuters and cyclists.
He says community feedback is critically important for this project to work.
“It’s really important to bring people into this equation. We need to hear voices, find out what are their needs, what are their wants, what are their desires, but also what are the things that they are excited about? What could they envision their future being? And so it’s really important to make sure that voices get heard and our work that we do really makes sure we hear that grassroots; get that input,” he said.
One of the designs planned by the engineers is to turn part of Court Street into a shared roadway for both cars and cyclists.
Caeden is optimistic about the projects being accepted by both Canton and Potsdam officials. The plans will be presented next Tuesday night.
“I think really getting outside and doing the groundwork, being in touch with the communities and sort of seeing how the real world applications of civil engineering beyond the classroom,” said Caeden.
As the surveying is completed, the students look toward a potential future where their engineering will make a difference.
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