SF's Pricey Bike Counter Works Erratically

In San Francisco, some bikers count more than others, according to the San Francisco Examiner, which found some problems with the city's expensive cycle-counter.

There's a device set up on Market Street near 10th Street that's set up to record how many cyclists pedal by every day.

And it does -- but it also records garbage trucks, police cars and motorcycles as bicycles, according to the newspaper.

On a recent afternoon, the device -- which records bikes as they cross a trip wire -- counted some bicycles as two bikes, and missed other bikes entirely, the newspaper found.

Muni officials said the counter -- which cost about $70,000 -- is supposed to be 95 percent accurate. The newspaper observed an accuracy rate below that.

The device is the only bicycle counter with a visible readout, but there are 24 other bicycle counters around San Francisco.