City of Clovis unveiled counting system along Old Town Trail

Clovis Mayor Bob Whalen (far right) and city officials pose for a group photo next to the newly unveiled trail counter display on the Old Town Trail near Clovis and Sierra avenues, May 5, 2018. (Daniel Leon/Clovis Roundup)

Just in time for the 2018 Trail Fest, new equipment was installed to count pedestrians and bicyclists along the Old Town and Dry Creek Trails in Clovis.

City officials held a grand opening of the latest Eco-Display counter at the southeast corner of Clovis and Sierra avenues along the Old Town Trail. The other display is located along the Dry Creek Trail at Clovis and Nees avenues.

During the ceremony, Clovis Mayor Bob Whalen delivered a statement before running through a green ribbon to mark the official opening.

“This was an idea that has been needed and the technology finally caught up to us to a point where we can actually do something as clever as this,” said Whalen. “It takes a lot of people to be able to make something like this happen. There’s a real fun aspect to it but at the same time there’s a real practical aspect in that we get to keep track of who is using our trails for when it comes time for upgrading or how we determine maintenance. When we request grants, the use of the trail is something that they’re going to be really interested in.”

The equipment uses special sensors to count and distinguish between bicyclists and pedestrians walking or jogging along the path. The counter displays the number of pedestrians and bicyclists who use the path each day, and also year-to-date.

“The citizens of Clovis enjoy riding and walking on the trails, and these new counters are a fun way for city staff to obtain data to ensure that trail users have the facilities and safety resources they need,” said Colleen Vidinoff, Assistant Engineer with the City of Clovis and one of the leaders of this project.

The data acquired, which will allow staff to better analyze year-round usage patterns of the trail systems, will also be uploaded on a daily basis to the City of Clovis website for the public to view.

“I’m so happy to get this up and running and let people see themselves counted as they cross the counting line,” Vidinoff added. “They do matter and we’re excited to encourage trial use.”

Both trail counter displays were purchased for approximately $58,000 from Eco-Counter, Inc., a world leader in active user monitoring systems, with funding from Measure C.

A native of Woodlake, Daniel Leon is a recent graduate of Fresno State with a degree in Mass Communication and Journalism. Daniel served as Sports Editor at The Collegian, Fresno State’s student-run newspaper, prior to joining the Roundup. Got a story idea? Email him at editor@clovisroundup.com