Carolyn Fath
A passive infrared camera hanging over the 100 block of State Street counts pedestrians by detecting their body heat.
403,489. That’s how many people strolled down State Street in July. City officials can pinpoint foot traffic on Madison’s most iconic street thanks to two pedestrian counters installed in May 2015. The passive infrared cameras hang 10 feet above the sidewalk on each side of the 100 block of State Street.
“The technology for counting pedestrians automatically hasn’t really existed until recently,” says Arthur Ross, the city’s pedestrian-bicycle coordinator. “In the past, anytime we needed to do pedestrian counts we had to physically send people out. Sit there. And count.”
While there are plenty of surveillance cameras on State Street — just ask the mayor — these counting cameras don’t record video. They use thermal imaging to calculate when a pedestrian walks by and in what direction. Essentially, heat from the human body is how the cameras are able to precisely count passersby even in dense groups. All the data collected by the counters is updated daily and available online. Several other cities in North America have the same systems in place, including Victoria, Calgary, Halifax and Philadelphia. The city spent $12,615 to purchase the devices.
Ald. Mike Verveer says the downtown business community was looking this summer at putting up pedestrian counters but was unaware the city already had two in place.
“To the surprise of some of the most active downtown stakeholders, the city had quietly installed some of these counters without really sharing that news or data,” says Verveer.
Tiffany Kenney, executive director of Madison’s Business Improvement District, says the use of pedestrian counters foreshadows possible recommendations in a pending downtown retail analysis. The study is expected to be released later this year and will offer suggestions on how to maintain a vibrant shopping district on State Street.
“One of the best ways to make a determination of a retail location is foot traffic: how many people walk by it,” says Kenney.
Over 4 million pedestrians were spied on State Street in the first year the counters were up. Even on Jan. 18 (the coldest day of 2016), 2,649 pedestrians braved the subzero temperatures. The busiest day for sidewalk traffic was during the first outdoor Dane County Farmers’ Market of the year, when 30,000 pedestrians were counted.
“The 400 block gets different traffic from the 200 block. That’s why — in an ideal world — we would like one on every block, on every side,” says Kenney.
The people counters on State Street are just the latest data collection devices soaking up information on how Madison moves. A network of systems, mostly invisible to the naked eye, are counting vehicle traffic on major thoroughfares and cyclists on city bike paths. Eco-Counter — the company that manufactures the pedestrian counters — also makes Eco-Totem. These real-time data displays show the number of cyclists that have zipped by on bike trails. Madison has two of these: one on the Southwest Commuter Path at Monroe Street and the other on the Capital City Trail alongside John Nolen Drive near Monona Terrace.
The future of how the city will track pedestrians is up in the air for now. But Verveer is considering a proposal in the upcoming budget that could add 20 more counters downtown.
“It’s my hope that in the 2017 capital budget the city will use TIF funds to purchase a number of pedestrians counters for State Street as well the Capitol Square.”