Bicycle Friendly Community

Eau Claire, WI | Bronze Level

Community Highlights: Eau Claire has developed an extensive network of on-street and off-street bicycle facilities in a relatively short period of time. These include bicycle lanes and shared lane facilities, as well as an extensive pathway/trail system that connects many of the City’s major destinations such as the University, Downtown, hospitals, major parks, and commercial and employment centers. Counts on paths show an average of 7,000 bicyclists using the pathway per month. The City of Eau Claire adopted a city-wide Bicycle and Pedestrian Plan.  With a focus on improving safety, these recommendations relate to collaborating with the Eau Claire School District on continuing to provide bicycle education programs, seeking regular education and training of law enforcement personnel regarding enforcement of laws, developing specific enforcement programs, and seeking greater police/neighborhood interaction concerning bicycle safety issues. The city has a Safe Route to School Program at almost all elementary and high schools, supplemented by bike rodeos and a Safety Town.  On Bike to Work Day, a local bicycle shop had service technicians come to City Hall to conduct minor bicycle tune-ups for city staff.

Most Recent Bicycle-Related Accomplishment: Completion of two major segments on a multi-use pathway system totaling approximately 1.6 miles. This eliminated major gaps in the City's overall multi-use pathway network. The City has also reconstructed a major street which provides access to the City's Downtown that included painted wide curb lanes to accommodate bicyclists.