Small grey box on a pole next to road - what is it?

Small grey box on a pole next to road - what is it?

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s91

Original Poster:

127 posts

86 months

Thursday 22nd June 2023
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Small square box painted grey - slightly smaller than a typical speed camera, about 4 foot off the ground.

Spotted this yesterday, google maps is a bit out of date so unfortunately no picture, but I've not ever seen one of these before and curious to what it is, I'm thinking it's either utilities or traffic related, as there's a utilities cabinet a good few meters before it, and an ANPR mounted on a lamp post several car lengths further up.

Spare tyre

10,333 posts

137 months

Thursday 22nd June 2023
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Noise monitor? Our local motorbike hotspots have had them installed

njw1

2,238 posts

118 months

Thursday 22nd June 2023
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It's for postmen (and women!) to put their bags in so that they don't have to lug so much about. Possibly, without a picture it's hard to say!

SturdyHSV

10,222 posts

174 months

Thursday 22nd June 2023
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Is it in a Peli case, one of these?



It's probably a radar detector. For traffic monitoring, typically council or police. Can pick up volume, speed and a reasonable approximation of length. Nothing personally identifiable.

Alternatively could be a bluetooth or wifi detector, for journey time monitoring, although they're not that prevelant in my slightly out of date experience (not worked in that industry for ~5 years)


bobbo89

5,537 posts

152 months

Thursday 22nd June 2023
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Sounds most likely to be some sort of UTC box.

Is there anything nearby like traffic signals or a crossing point etc?

WilsonWilson

573 posts

156 months

Thursday 22nd June 2023
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If you mean these, they are used by Royal Mail to break up deliveries.


s91

Original Poster:

127 posts

86 months

Thursday 22nd June 2023
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Wasn't one of those Peli cases, just a basic square metal box, it did have some sort of black marking on the one side, but I couldn't tell if it was just a marking, an opening, or possibly a lens.

There's a utilities cabinet several car lengths before it, and an ANPR camera bit further ahead, I wondered if it was possibly linked to either of these.

Highly doubt it's a mail box, doesn't look like that and given it's location it just wouldn't make sense, it's near the end of a dual carriageway, approaching a 30 zone where it goes back to one lane, the ANPR I mentioned is just as you get to the 30.

Edited by s91 on Thursday 22 June 15:11

drmotorsport

813 posts

250 months

Thursday 22nd June 2023
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Dalek incubator?

cliffords

1,808 posts

30 months

Thursday 22nd June 2023
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Provide a picture and you will get your answer

chemistry

2,442 posts

116 months

Thursday 22nd June 2023
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Is it one of these?



If so, it’s Autospeedwatch:

https://store.autospeedwatch.org/index.php?route=c...


chemistry

2,442 posts

116 months

Thursday 22nd June 2023
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…two have appeared near me (Bath). I think they are effectively automated community speedwatch cameras.

They seem very vulnerable to me (fitted about 6 feet of the ground) and I wouldn’t be surprised to see them destroyed/removed as soon as someone gets a letter.

sherman

13,813 posts

222 months

Thursday 22nd June 2023
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s91 said:
Wasn't one of those Peli cases, just a basic square metal box, it did have some sort of black marking on the one side, but I couldn't tell if it was just a marking, an opening, or possibly a lens.

There's a utilities cabinet several car lengths before it, and an ANPR camera bit further ahead, I wondered if it was possibly linked to either of these.

Highly doubt it's a mail box, doesn't look like that and given it's location it just wouldn't make sense, it's near the end of a dual carriageway, approaching a 30 zone where it goes back to one lane, the ANPR I mentioned is just as you get to the 30.

Edited by s91 on Thursday 22 June 15:11
Its the anpr camera. The black mark is most kikely a solar panel.

sherman

13,813 posts

222 months

Thursday 22nd June 2023
quotequote all
s91 said:
Wasn't one of those Peli cases, just a basic square metal box, it did have some sort of black marking on the one side, but I couldn't tell if it was just a marking, an opening, or possibly a lens.

There's a utilities cabinet several car lengths before it, and an ANPR camera bit further ahead, I wondered if it was possibly linked to either of these.

Highly doubt it's a mail box, doesn't look like that and given it's location it just wouldn't make sense, it's near the end of a dual carriageway, approaching a 30 zone where it goes back to one lane, the ANPR I mentioned is just as you get to the 30.

Edited by s91 on Thursday 22 June 15:11
Its the anpr camera. The black mark is most kikely a solar panel to help keep it all charged up.

The Gauge

3,177 posts

20 months

Thursday 22nd June 2023
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It's a mini fridge for the postman to put his sandwiches in,

s91

Original Poster:

127 posts

86 months

Thursday 22nd June 2023
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It's bigger/taller than the one posted above, more of a square shape. The closest I can find is that it's traffic monitoring, although no induction loops in the road.

s2driveruk

350 posts

216 months

Monday 8th July
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These have appeared in and around Alton, Farringdon, Petersfield and Bentworth in Hampshire after EHDC funded about 20 of them…wondered what they were. Very small and quite discrete. Appears to take pictures and share with local groups and can be shared with Police.