The Seattle Department of Transportation is replacing the Fremont Bridge’s iconic bike counter after the 13-year-old device was removed last month, the Seattle Bike Blog reported.
The original counter, installed Oct. 12, 2012, was Seattle’s first bike counter with a real-time display and was funded partly by Cascade Bicycle Club, according to Seattle Bike Blog. The device tracked cycling activity on both sides of the bridge and became a popular landmark for monitoring bike ridership trends.
SDOT removed the failing counter after it recorded its final bike on June 28, according to the blog’s reporting. The annual tracking feature had stopped working in recent months, prompting the replacement decision.
The department has installed temporary counters to maintain data collection during the transition and is installing a new permanent display, an SDOT spokesperson told Seattle Bike Blog. Seattle is currently on pace to potentially reach 1 million rides over the Fremont Bridge in 2025, following record-breaking April numbers.
Current and historical bike counter data is available at https://www.seattle.gov/transportation/projects-and-programs/programs/bike-program/bike-counters/fremont-bike-counters.