Tools to calculate trail usage in Chatham-Kent have recently been destroyed by vandals for a third time.
CK coordinator of Active Transportation and Special Events Genevieve Champagne said she noticed more Eco-Counters were vandalized on Thursday during an on-site visit. One was in the the Paxton’s Bush/Rotary Eco Trail and the other was at Tilbury's Northside Park Trail.
"These counters on the trails are not cameras, they have no monetary value to anyone," said Champagne. "They serve one purpose and that is to count and collect data."
An Eco-Counter that was temporarily installed on a tree along the Rotary Eco Trail was completely destroyed earlier this year with pieces found scattered in the area.
Champagne said the devices are small utility boxes that have infrared sensors that count pedestrians and cyclists that pass in front of them. They are typically worth more than $4,000 a device.
"Once it detects someone, it logs that number into a database and then that number is uploaded to the Cloud," said Champagne. This data tells me how many people walk that pathway, what time of day is the most popular, trends from during the week to weekend and weather pattern trends."
Champagne said the data collected helps narrow down which trails are used most, which trails require more funding and the best time to schedule maintenance. The data is then used in reports that are submitted for grants.
"I take this data and present it to our council to support the maintenance and development of our trails. I use this data when requesting provincial and federal funding," she said.
Champagne added the data collected helps narrow down which trails are used most, which trails require more funding and the best time to schedule maintenance. The data is then used in reports that are submitted for grants.
"It's heartbreaking from an employee standpoint," said Champagne. "As municipal employees, we try our best to provide services in order to make it a better community. So yeah, it's heartbreaking that this keeps happening. They are not cameras by any means."
