Our Guide to Counter Vandalism (With Real-World Examples!)

Vandalism Can Happen to Anything Installed Outside

If you walked through your city or nearest park right now, you would probably see some of the following: Graffiti on walls. Light poles covered in stickers. A wood bench with "J + J forever ♡" carved into it.

The truth is, if it's outside, it's fair game for the elements and people. And the same goes for counting technology.

We’re blowing the case wide open: yes, counters can get vandalized. But like with any public infrastructure, there are things you can do to reduce the risk of vandalism as much as possible.

So how exactly do you protect your counters from vandalism? In this article, we’ll cover our experiences with counter vandalism and provide some solutions that have worked for our clients across the U.S. and Canada. 

Common Counter Vandalism We've Seen

A counter with spray paint covering the sensor.

A counter with a cracked lens.

• Spray paint or stickers on sensor lenses
• Smashed counter housing
• Counter kicked off pole or pushed off alignment
• Cracked lenses
• Stolen batteries or parts

Data Loss: The Hidden Cost of Counter Vandalism 

Why is a vandalized counter such a big deal anyway? If a sensor gets covered by graffiti or a sticker, can’t you simply remove it and carry on like before? 

While this is true, data loss is an invisible but impactful cost of vandalism. When a counter stops counting, it creates a gap in the data. This inconsistency affects the accuracy of key analyses like yearly comparisons and daily averages.

There are solutions like data validation and reconstruction to fix this problem if it occurs, but the best solution is to keep your data flowing by avoiding vandalism in the first place. 

Best Practices to Reduce Counter Vandalism 

What can you do to reduce counter vandalism in both cities and parks? Here are our tips: 

1.  Install discreetly

A common approach to reducing counter vandalism is choosing an inconspicuous installation spot. Think tree trunks, light poles, or signposts. We’ve even seen clients get creative and put their counters inside statues and phone boxes.  

In general, use natural cover in natural areas, and urban cover in urban areas. Think about how shrubs or branches can help a trail or park counter blend into surrounding greenery. On the other hand, think about how an urban counter can be made to look like an uninteresting electrical box or receiver.  

2.  Find a safe location

If you want to reduce the risk of vandalism to your counters, think about installation location too—not just surroundings. A best practice is to install them in high traffic areas or non-isolated places.

 For instance, visitor centers, park entrances, pedestrian bridges, or sidewalks overlooked by security cameras are great options. 

3.  Choose a custom color

This tip might take some creativity but could make a world of difference. In certain situations, camouflaging your counter’s housing or installation hardware with a custom color or stickers is a sure-fire way to protect it. 

In natural areas, green, brown, or camo patterns work best. In urban areas, match the color of the counter with other city-owned items like poles or benches to ensure it blends in. 

Some of our counters with customizable color options include the Pyro Nano and Urban Post. 

4.  Add extra vandalism-resistant features

If you’re looking for extra strong protection, consider adding these to your counters: 

• Protective cages (that have holes large enough to not block the sensor) 
• Pad-lockable casings with a hole cut out for the sensor 
• Extra-thick metal bands when installing on a tree or pole 
• Custom housings made of durable metals or polycarbonate

If you aren't sure what would work best for your Eco-Counter, contact help@eco-counter.com!

5.  Communicate about your count program

Our favorite approach to minimizing counter vandalism flips the status quo. Instead of keeping counters hidden, a new strategy we’ve seen cities and parks use is to clearly communicate what their counters are for. 

This usually looks like signage with a short text like “This device helps track trail use and improve park maintenance. It is NOT a camera.” QR code stickers that lead to website pages are also commonplace.

An example from the City of Santa Clarita. Their QR code leads to an informative webpage.

Clear indications that the counter is government or organizational property (slap your logo on there!) and supposed to be there (e.g. reflective tape) reduces lots of misunderstandings. It assures people that the counter isn't recording them and that it's there to make their community's streets or trails better.

Real-World Examples 

Check out our gallery of clients who’ve taken measures to protect their counters from vandalism with great success.

Communicate: Urban MULTIEvos from the Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT) have stickers leading to a landing page with more information about their count program.

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Conclusion

If you were to remember one thing from this article, it's that you have options for reducing vandalism when it comes to counters. You can install in strategic places, add protective shells, choose custom colors, or let people know why they're there and what they do.

Counters are like any other public infrastructure—vulnerable to vandalism, but vital to have nonetheless. The benefits of having solid, reliable data from your count program far outweigh the occasional risk of vandalism.