A cyclist counter in Broughty Ferry which has previously been accused of giving faulty readings is to be replaced but will no longer show the data at the site.
Ferry councillor Craig Duncan has previously criticised the Douglas Terrace device for giving “inaccurate” numbers after it recorded him and his dogs as a cyclist.
In 2018, the counter recorded 50,000 cyclists passing, from the point it was switched on in June that year.
Sustainable transport charity Sustrans claimed last year it had been fixed, but it will now be replaced by a new counter, as will others across Scotland.
However, data from the replacement counter will only be visible via Sustrans’ website, with no display at the site itself.
Mr Duncan has said it is important for the public to be able to see the count happen in real time to know whether it is being done accurately.
He said: “If you are going to have a cycle counter machine, it is important that the data is actually correct.
“Their counter in Dundee has not been reliable for much of the last 12 months.
“These reliability issues are also affecting many other counters and Sustrans have not been able to reach a solution with the supplier. Faults are too numerous and repairs are too slow, requiring Danish engineers to come over to Scotland.
“The replacement will not have a scorecard visible to members of the public.
“Given the current counters are not fit for purpose, it is sensible they are being removed, but I have raised my concern with the council’s director of City Development that the proposed replacement will not have a counter visible to the public.
“Given the concerns about the veracity of data from the previous counter, if the public is to have any faith in the data from them in the future, any replacement must have a publicly seen counter and be open and transparent about how it records cycle use.”
The removal is expected to happen over the summer months and the cost will be covered by Sustrans.
A Dundee City Council spokesman said: “It is disappointing that this counter should have to be removed.”
A Sustrans spokeswoman said: “Concerns raised by Mr Duncan last year about the counter performance at Broughty Ferry led to us updating our cycle counter programme to a more reliable product to ensure that future data is more accurate.
“We acknowledge Mr Duncan’s frustration that this solution will not allow the public to view the cycle data in real time. However to ensure the highest accuracy in recording cycle numbers we have had to move away from counters which display figures on screens.
“We would like to reassure our partners and the general public that they will still be able to access the readings on cycle and pedestrian numbers online.
“Once installed, the new counters will be monitored regularly to ensure that they are operational and accurate.”
