Shown here: a rare snowless patch of Eau Claire's Phoenix Park.

Eau Claire’s Bicycle and Pedestrian Plan has received recognition from a regional planning group. The American Planning Association - Wisconsin Chapter Northwest District, which includes planners across 26 counties, honored the blueprint in mid-December with a recognition award for a planning document. The 2010 plan, created by the city’s Community Development and Public Works departments with oversight from the Bicycle and Pedestrian Advisory Commission, included several recommendations that have been enacted, such as the passage of a bicycle parking ordinance and BPAC review of all street projects. In its award citation, the association notes that the plan’s “implementation also sends a strong signal within the community that walking and bicycling are no longer considered as alternative modes of travel, rather are essential components of the city’s multi-modal transportation system.”