Video cameras are up and now they're helping control our intersections and keep traffic running smoothly. The people that will benefit the most from the cameras are people on mopeds, bikes and motorcycles. They're the little guys that tend to get stuck waiting at red lights.

Sometimes, some rides are just too small to trigger a green.

"Small objects like mopeds, bikes and motorcycles have almost no chance of being detected by our current setup," says Eau Claire Traffic Engineer Ross Spitz.

The current setup in Eau Claire is copper wiring under the pavement that tells the lights when a car is waiting. But moped riders like Joel Mikelson sometimes find themselves waiting to be recognized.

"Sometimes I end up just making a right to avoid the long wait or hoping a car comes up behind me," Mikelson says.

But Spitz says cameras like the one at Lake Street and Farwell can pick up the smallest driver-- all the way down to a bike.

"We are trying to include all users,” Spitz says. “it's just a part of good design."

He says the $8000 setup costs more than putting the copper under the streets. But, he says another benefit comes when it's time for change. He says the old system would require the streets to be torn up to get to the copper. With the cameras, all he needs is his laptop.

Spitz says right now the cameras are being used on a trial basis, but you could soon see more along Birch St. They're slated to be at four intersections after the construction.

"My goal is to get them at every intersection in the city, but that's a really really long-term goal," Spitz says.

A welcome goal for those who like to bike, cycle or moped around town without getting stuck at a really long red light.

"It would be very helpful because you do feel like you're trapped out there and can't do anything about it,” Mikelson says.

One important thing to pass along-- the cameras are not set up to record, just to trigger the stop lights.