New `post_box:type`?

Communities United Kingdom
1

According to an article by the BBC, there’s a new type of pillar box being introduced with a built in barcode scanner and “drop-down door” for parcels. Power is presumably supplied by the built-in solar panel.

Assuming we do actually start seeing these around, how should they be tagged? The current documentation’s reservation about the difference between pillar and meter seems particularly relevant for these:

Since this classification is distinct from, and in some sense orthogonal to, the other post_box:type=* values, it has been suggested that a different key should be used for this attribute, leaving post_box:type=* to tag the box with the best fit from pillar, lamp, and wall.

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2

The ones on the BBC article like like this to me.

amenity=post_box
post_box:type=pillar
parcel_mail_in=yes

And potentially:

generator:source=solar
generator:method=photovoltaic
generator:type=solar_photovoltaic_panel

But:

  1. I’m not sure on solar tagging
  2. I expect these are hooked up to the grid
3

I assumed the opposite: that they are off grid hence the solar (plus battery) to power the barcode scanner and opening mechanism.

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4

I’d agree that the primary tagging will not change. I’d still consider them a pillar

amenity=post_box
post_box:type=pillar
parcel_mail_in=yes

The change will be a new value for the post_box:design=* tag (link)

I assume Royal Mail will make available a design name when these new boxes made available, and that will be the value we’ll use.

6

The generator:* bits seem inappropriate for something that’s really only powering itself.

Maybe electricity=solar as suggested by the lamp_type page as an alternative to lamp_type=solar_lamp?

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7

There’s one of these in my manor now. I took some photos in Panaramix. The ref number has not changed (compared with the plain old box that was there before).

But is there any definitive name of these boxes, or any consensus emerging on what to use for post_box:design ?

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8

I’ve inspected one and looked at the Royal Mail website. RM refer to them as parcel postboxes.

Noticeable features - Solar panel atop the pillar box, stainless drawer for parcel, optical scanner for proof of posting, collection times plate to the side of the parcel drawer.

The original pillar box remains, the door has been re-engineered for the parcel drawer and the top has been re-engineered to add a solar panel.

For tagging I agree with

I think that any reference to the solar power generating is a red herring until there is a tagging sceme for independantly powered devices.

I noted that there were no groundworks to connect the boxes to mains power.

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