Some observers believe there are more bicyclists on Treasure Valley roads and pathways today than in years past - and a three-day cyclist count this week attempts to find out if that's true.

Volunteers with the Ada County Highway District Bicycle Advisory Committee began counting cyclists at key Boise intersections Tuesday morning. The morning and late-afternoon counts will continue through Thursday.

A person who counted bicyclists from 7 to 9 a.m. Tuesday at Warm Springs and Broadway counted 79.

The bicyclist count is part of an ongoing effort that started in April 2007. That's when Ada County Highway District began work on a Roadways to Bikeways Master Plan for Ada County to determine where future investments in the county's bicycle system should go.

The $250,000 plan, which is being developed by Portland-based Alta Planning & Design, will be the region's first full-scale bicycle master plan.

The first count of cyclists was done over a three-week period in April and May of 2007.

"We wanted to get a baseline for how many people are using the system and use those figures to compare with future counts," said Robbie Johnson, an ACHD spokeswoman.

The 2007 bicyclist counts tallied 1,159 cyclists at 33 locations, with male cyclists outnumbering females 3 to 1. The highest counts were seen along or near the Greenbelt and entering Downtown Boise.

Johnson said the volunteers decided to do another count this month because they wanted to know if the perception of more cyclists on area roads and pathways can be supported by data.

More bicyclist counts are planned for the future. The goal is to have counts annually at the same times and places for comparison purposes, Johnson said.

In a survey last year, 73 percent of respondents said the thing that prevents them from bicycling more is a lack of bike paths, lanes or routes. Too many cars, and/or cars that drive too fast, was the second biggest deterrent, according to the survey.

Nearly 69 percent of the more than 2,000 people who responded to the survey said their top preference is the creation of more off-street paved bike paths, like the Greenbelt.

Once completed, the Roadways to Bikeways Master Plan will be made available for public review and feedback, Johnson said. ACHD commissioners are expected to adopt the plan by early 2009.

Katy Moeller: 377-6413