3 days ago
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While locals are getting accustomed to more advanced road cameras, some residents are taking to social media to share their concerns and confusion.
In 2025, we're all accustomed to being watched to some degree, but the appearance of some new science fiction-esque cameras has locals of one Brisbane suburb on edge.
One Brisbane resident took to the social media platform Reddit to ask other users to identify a black box camera spotted hanging from a tree close to their house.
“Recently three of these cameras were found outside my house, in trees and on a street sign. Looking at my house and away from my house,” the Reddit user posted.
“I was notified about them yesterday and went and looked at one last night, today that camera is gone. I’m a female that lives alone, so I’m a little worried.
“Has anyone seen these cameras before or know what they’re used for? Are they traffic, council or is someone watching me?” they added.
In true social media fashion, some commenters chimed in with some humorous responses, with one stating, “[It’s] a possum box that allows them to time travel”. While another one remarked, “It’s an elevator for elderly koalas”.
Despite appearing as though it’s straight out of a James Bond film, the camera’s purpose is more functional and less sinister.
The black box camera is a traffic survey/measurement tool operated by Matrix, a traffic survey company working across Australia, New Zealand and the UK.
The cameras have been causing panic among locals for numerous years, so much so that Matrix includes a QR code that warns bystanders of the black box’s function.
To avoid confusion, a Matrix spokesperson told Drive, “These are not speed cameras and are not equipped to record speed. These are low-resolution cameras for counting traffic”.
“They are kept at low resolution so that you can make out vehicles but cannot obtain identifying characteristics such as number plates or facial features.
“The data we collect is utilised by traffic engineers and local governments in their traffic modelling,” they added.
Pictures of Matrix's traffic cameras have been circulating on social media in the past couple of years, with two cameras photographed in 2023 and uploaded to Facebook.
The original user who posted the images on the social media platform shared the information that's available when bystanders scan the QR code.
It read, “I am not a speed camera! Traffic surveys mean counting and studying the number of vehicles, pedestrians, and sometimes bikes at certain spots on local roads, highways, and intersections.
“This helps us understand how traffic is moving and is useful information in improving the traffic.
“The camera you’ve seen is set to record traffic flows for a period of time to capture the traffic when it is at its busiest. This is usually a few hours during the morning.”
It’s not the first time an unusual road camera has caught the attention of residents.
As Drive reported in September 2024, a futuristic-looking speed camera photographed in Melbourne went viral online for its bizarre shape, inconvenient location and unexpected purpose.
“Just drove past it and I swear everyone was swerving just to stare at the robot thing on the side of the road,” one Facebook commenter said.
Ethan Cardinal graduated with a Journalism degree in 2020 from La Trobe University and has been working in the fashion industry as a freelance writer prior to joining Drive in 2023. Ethan greatly enjoys investigating and reporting on the cross sections between automotive, lifestyle and culture. Ethan relishes the opportunity to explore how deep cars are intertwined within different industries and how they could affect both casual readers and car enthusiasts.
