City councillor wants data to show that Northland Drive isn't popular cycle route

The City of Calgary won't be counting bikes along Northland Drive N.W. despite one councillor's campaign to prove thosededicated bike lanes aren't being used.

Coun.Sean Chu has long been critical of the bike lanes that were installed about a year and a half ago.

"I'm anti-nonsense. Being police officer for 21 years my tolerance level for,I gotta be very careful here what I say,horse manure is very low," said the Ward 4 councillor.

"If I see something, it smells like something, I'm gonna call it out."

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The N.W. cycling route that Chu is referring to as "horse manure" is noteven inhisWard.

But the councillor said he drives along the route all the time andsaid he'sheard from "lots of people who live in the area."

'My tolerance level for,Igottabe very careful here what I say,horse manure is very low."- Coun.Sean Chu

"People are actually angry about it because they never see a bike."

Thursdaymorning on the Calgary Eyeopener, Chu told CBC radio host David Gray that he can count the number of bikes that go along that route every day"withone hand."

City can't count bikes everywhere

TomThivener,thecity's bike coordinator, says they only have17 automatedcounters,worth a few thousand dollars each, which are being used on other lanes to provide daily numbers.

"Based on the amount of money we have, I can't say that we can do one of these devices on every single bike lane that we put around the city,"Thivener said.

Chu says this suggests he's right.

"They say noand Ican only guess the reason is that they know there's no number here to back their decision up."

Thivenersays a bike count on Northland Drive is taken annually and the last countfound 43 people cycling during a six hour period.

With files from the Calgary Eyeopener