Two of the biggest complaints in the Eau Claire area – other than the prolonged winter  – are parking and potholes. The fact both of these are transportation-related indicates how much importance Chippewa Vallians place on getting from here to there without fuss. In fact, the only areas of the 2012 National Citizen Survey in which Eau Claire residents’ satisfaction was far below their peers in other cities were transportation-related: street repair, snow removal, and ease of rail travel. Yet despite these complaints, the Chippewa Valley boasts a strong transportation system. In the past decade or so Highway 29 was expanded to four lanes and the U.S. 53 bypass was built, speeding travelers and easing traffic congestion in Eau Claire. The region also boasts easy access to the wider world via Interstate 94 and the Chippewa Valley Regional Airport. Last year, downtown Eau Claire successfully made the switch to two-way traffic, and while the reconstruction of South Barstow Street this summer will undoubtedly be disruptive, the end result will no doubt improve the neighborhood.

“We still have a Midwest mindset: there’s plenty of parking, the roads aren’t crowded.”
-- Mike Branco, Eau Claire Transit manager

As an Eau Claire City Council member, Catherine Emmanuelle knows that a perceived lack of downtown parking is a chronic complaint. “However,” she adds, “we sorely underutilize our public transportation system.” She’d like to find a way to encourage employers to get their workers to ride the bus instead of driving to work alone (as most people in the Valley do). Mike Branco, manager of Eau Claire Transit, points out that the bus system consistently has more than 1 million riders annually and maintains the same number of routes as some cities many times Eau Claire’s size. He also lauds continued city support for mass transit despite tight budgets. “I think our community has a pretty good buy-in to the system,” Branco says. “Obviously we could stand to be better,” he adds. “We still have a Midwest mindset: there’s plenty of parking, the roads aren’t crowded.”

Meanwhile, groups like the Bicycle Federation of Wisconsin are encouraging more commuters to use pedal power and pushing for bike-friendly improvements in city infrastructure (on top of the 21 miles of trails the city maintains). And for those who prefer to simply put one foot in front of the other, it’s worth noting that the city has more miles of sidewalk (366) than street (344.5).