Great thread - I love these mysteries!
I have reasonable eyesight but I can't see most of what everyone has been discussing, and with the new scroll bar at the bottom of the picture it took me ages to even realise I was only looking at half of the photo.
Anyway, I'm not sure if this has already been mentioned (apologies if it has), but is that a street marker/ mileage thingy on the footpath between the two seats? Can anyone get a closer look at it?