Eau Claire Evaluating Traffic Patterns as City Considers Updates

Some Eau Claire streets will be under surveillance over the next few weeks as the City determines if some intersections need to be updated.

According to a WEAU report, the City of Eau Claire will be using an Artificial Intelligence-driven camera to monitor how many vehicles are using some intersections. City officials will eventually review that data, and determine if they need to make changes like adding stop lights, a left turn lane, or a variety of other traffic improvements.

The study comes as the City continues to grow in population. This past October, Eau Claire was named the seventh largest city in the state of Wisconsin. While the growth is overall very beneficial for the city and the Chippewa Valley region as a whole, one potential concern could be an increase in traffic.

The camera will be positioned at various intersections around the city, and will be moved three times per week. On Wednesday, it was surveilling the intersection of Cameron Street and Florence Avenue. City officials expect to place it at a different intersection as soon as Monday.

Data collection will continue throughout the Summer and is expected to continue well into the Fall. Officials are hoping the data will present them with more options for creating better traffic flow and making the streets safer for both drives and pedestrians.

Eau Claire officials also clarified that the camera will not be used to issue traffic citations for drivers who may be speeding or run a red light near it. If the program proves useful, the city could continue using the camera for data collection beyond the fall or when residents say a particular intersection is seeing more traffic as the city continues to grow.