Origin–destination (OD) matrix estimation largely depends on the quality and quantity of the input data, which in turn depends on the number and sites of count locations. In this paper, we focus on the network count location problem (NCLP), namely the identification of informative links in the road network. Also we employ opposition based colonial competitive algorithm (OCCA), which originally inspired by imperialistic competition, to determine the desirable number and locations of counting points satisfying location rules. The model and algorithm is illustrated with numerical examples.