This is a photo from two years ago, i stood there for a good minute wondering how the hell and why this weird cycle path was there. It is in southern France, on the climb to Col d’Ecre, bit north of Nice.
Take a guess, i finally fully understand.
A sensor for traffic lights or warning lights? Does the road narrow after this?
No. Google street view from before it was built klick
A pullout area to allow backed up vehicles to pass?
It’s strange that it’s on the downhill side and not the uphill, though!
Other guesses: Brake check area (stop and let brakes cool…); U-turn area as we sometimes see for the ‘j-turn’ configuration; The pullout is for uphill cyclists but they have to make a u-turn to use it.
It is on the uphill side. Location
I will wait a little bit more before i post the solution.
Another hint: It has nothing to do with cars.
It is on the uphill side.
Aha, now I see.
Further guesses: Place to pull over and rest; Place for cyclists to make a U turn - perhaps just before a particularly steep or difficult section.
device/battery/bike charger?
Edit: or emergency phone, maybe; we have a similar thing on the Japanese expressway system with phones.
No.
But something that could use the solar energy.
Wifi/Internet?
Best guess, it’s for allowing cars to pass?
Nope.
A hint: These two poles and the one with the solar panel make sense of the whole thing.
Perhaps to turn on something like ‘Bicycles ahead’ warning lights for an upcoming section with poor visibility, or a tunnel or similar.
Or a simple bicycle counter - authorities are interested to know how many cyclists are using this route and at what times of day etc.
Hmm, something like a chip timing station so you can time your climb?
Presumably there would be similar ones at the bottom and top also, and perhaps at other points along the way.
Wait a second. There might be something further down and up the hill that i have not fully understood yet, so this could also be a timing machine, i am not sure. It’s not the function that i’m looking for though.
No timing, but this is getting close. There is nothing further down this climb, but this infra apparently also exists on a few other climbs in the area.
I have posted the solution already, but you can keep playing.
Some sort of service station? Maybe there’s an air pump and various tools in that box?
Oh…. The posts are the sensor that snaps a picture and uploads it
Now that i have found this, i kinda want to go back and collect the cols, haha.
Seems like quite some people snap a pic of themselves there. Not sure if it’s the best way to spend money on cycling infrastructure, but i think it’s a fun little project, i like it.
I still have no idea what it’s for
SPOILER
Maybe i was exaggerating when i said i fully understand it. There is this Cols Connectes thing from the department alpes maritimes where climbing a col is being gamified, to collect the cols and take the times, upload photos. And this infra is part of it, taking a photo. Maybe there is are also stations like this at the bottom and top, for the timing, but i did not see them if they were there. But i also rode some of the other cols and did not notice anything like it either, but apparently it’s there.
Just today i clicked on the deeplink to the cameras. https://www.cols-connectes06.fr/consultez-les-photos.htm I don’t know ho to reach this from their website.
I knew this infra was somehow part of “cols connetces”, but did not really understand what it did, i had asked it before in the french cycling subreddit.
There used to be a complete bike lane, but sadly a rockslide covered all but this part.
Beats me… Cycling pull-off so faster vehicles can pass?
No, it has nothing to do with cars.
