By ANDY GARDNER

MASSENA -- In light of a pedestrian safety concern near two schools and the village’s inability to take immediate action on the matter, local lawmakers are looking at passing a Complete Streets law.

Complete Streets is a state initiative through the Department of Transportation that encourages municipalities to enact local laws requiring safer streets and sidewalks for pedestrians, vehicles and cyclists.

A Complete Street is a roadway planned and designed to consider the safe, convenient access and mobility of all roadway users of all ages and abilities. This includes pedestrians, bicyclists, public transportation riders, and motorists; it includes children, the elderly, and persons with disabilities,” the DOTs website says. “Complete Street roadway design features include sidewalks, lane striping, bicycle lanes, paved shoulders suitable for use by bicyclists, signage, crosswalks, pedestrian control signals, bus pull-outs, curb cuts, raised crosswalks, ramps and traffic calming measures.”

Trustee Matt Lebire said Potsdam, Malone and Ogdensburg all have the law on the books, but it isn’t “cookie cutter.”

“It’s not a package deal where you have to do it this way or don’t do it at all,” he told the board.

Currier said he hopes to seek a resolution for a new local law in the near future.

He said this all stems from “discussions ongoing with School Street and the discussion to resolve the pedestrian dangers down there.”

Earlier in the year, the village had received complaints about safety in the area between J.W. Leary Junior High and Nightengale Elementary. There are no sidewalks on the street. There is a stop sign at the end of the junior high parking lot that says no left turn onto the sidewalkless area, but police Chief Mark LaBrake said last month that it’s school property, therefore officers cannot pull cars over even to give an oral warning.

The DOT’s Complete Streets webpage is at https://www.dot.ny.gov/programs/completestreets