Trustee of the Roxburgh Gorge Charity Trust and co-director of Central Otago Clutha Trails Ltd Barrie Wills said the new counters would help trail promotion.
"It’s more comprehensive ... once we get to two years of data, it will give us more information for our marketing.
"If we know the numbers, there’s a lot more information which will support our case for funding applications for New Zealand Cycle Trails and MBIE [Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment]."
Dr Wills said the original infrared counter the trust installed in January 2015 could only pick up heat pulses.
"It simply activates on heat pulses from passing bodies so humans, dogs and possums will trigger it."
The new counters would distinguish between human bikers and walkers.
It had a pressure pad underneath the track that would recognise when a person walked or cycled over it.
Data would be sent to the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment then shared with the trail managers.
The new counters were installed on the Roxburgh Gorge Trail last month.
Some were also installed on the Clutha Gold Trail.
Dr Wills checked the infrared Roxburgh Gorge Trail counter every month.
The counter reading was 4010 from December 2017 to January 2018, up 71% from the year before.
He said the increase could be due to new mountain bike tracks linking up with the trail and because of added signage in Alexandra.
The top reading was taken in February 2016, of 4385.
Last week, Tourism Minister Kelvin Davis announced the Government would provide up to $120,000 to replace the steep downhill slope at the end of the Roxburgh Gorge Trail with a switchback trail that would be easier to ride.
MBIE’s investment management performance manager Martin Cavanagh said 60 counters were being placed across the network of 22 great rides, which formed the New Zealand Cycle Trail, by Be Counted Technology, of Auckland.
Mr Cavanagh estimated the cost of installing the counters to be $330,000 plus GST.
Counter installation started in July 2017 and was expected to be finished by April 2018. Otago Central Rail Trail facilitator Clare Toya-Bailey said it was not getting the counters installed, as it had had some installed by the Department of Conservation.
The whole of the Rail Trail is on land owned by the department, unlike the Roxburgh Gorge or Clutha Gold Trails.
