{"id":247123,"date":"2019-10-31T22:28:26","date_gmt":"2019-10-31T12:28:26","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/southburnett.com.au\/news2\/?p=247123"},"modified":"2020-07-15T18:31:56","modified_gmt":"2020-07-15T08:31:56","slug":"council-erases-rail-trail-data","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/southburnett.com.au\/news2\/2019\/10\/31\/council-erases-rail-trail-data\/","title":{"rendered":"Council Erases Rail Trail Data"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"\"
Counter data recording South Burnett Rail Trail usage has been removed from Council reports because of ongoing concerns about its accuracy (Photo: Denise Keelan Photography)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"\"
Finance portfolio chair
Cr Ros Heit<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

October 31, 2019<\/strong><\/p>\n

Two years’ data about usage of the South Burnett Rail Trail has been removed from Council records because of concerns about its accuracy.<\/p>\n

A request to remove the data from the Council’s annual Operational Plan was raised by Cr Ros Heit at October’s general meeting.<\/p>\n

Cr Heit said she had raised concerns about the accuracy of the data at the previous month’s meeting, and found the latest monthly data equally suspect.<\/p>\n

She wanted the data removed because she knew the figures were incorrect from her own involvement with a number of recent events held on the Rail Trail.<\/p>\n

“Secondly – and more importantly – as decision-makers (who have to rely on) the data that is brought to us, particularly in an annual Operational Plan, it should be correct or it shouldn\u2019t be there.<\/p>\n

“While this isn\u2019t the most important data of the day, it should still be correct and if it isn\u2019t correct how can we have confidence in other data?”<\/p>\n

CEO Mark Pitt said Council staff did their best with the data that was available to them, pointing out the counters had suffered ongoing problems since they were installed a few months after the Rail Trail opened in October 2017.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Those problems had been magnified by vandalism, with some instances of people putting tapes over the counters that had affected the monthly figures.<\/p>\n

“The question is, Councillors, do we take those counters out?” Mr Pitt said.<\/p>\n

“Up until this point council has always directed us to keep those counters in place.<\/p>\n

“The data that the staff are presenting is the best data available given the equipment that we have been able to purchase.”<\/p>\n

Mr Pitt said he agreed with Cr Heit data in the Operational Plan needed to be correct, and was happy to remove the Rail Trail counter data from the report.<\/p>\n

Councillors agreed.<\/p>\n

On Wednesday, the South Burnett Rail Trail Users Association (SBRTUA) said they had been debating the issue themselves at recent meetings.<\/strong><\/p>\n

The group is now considering applying for a grant to install counters of their own in an attempt to gather impartial Rail Trail usage data.<\/p>\n

“Our members have been collecting daily data on the usage of freestay parks at Wondai and Wooroolin for the past 15 months,” SBRTUA president Dafyd Martindale said.<\/p>\n

“This has provided a very good picture of grey nomad tourism in our region, and it is now starting to produce valuable year-on-year comparison data as well.<\/p>\n

“But not every caravanner uses the trail, so we need Rail Trail usage data to develop a more complete picture of what’s happening along the corridor.<\/p>\n

“If we’re successful in acquiring and installing counters, we’d be very happy to share that data with Council and anyone considering setting up or expanding a business to service Rail Trail tourists.”<\/p>\n