[URGENT] The Criteria Clarification Collection for Bridges Needed
NianticGiffard’s post on June 2021 Hi there! If there is anything interesting/historic about the bridge or maybe if the bridge is architecturally unique, it is eligible.
The discussion from that time preserved in the web archive
Since NianticGiffard clarified the guidelines regarding bridges on the former Niantic Wayfarer Community Forum, to my recollection, there has been no new response from the Wayfarer team on this topic. For the sake of the Japanese Wayfarer community, where confusion persists, could you please provide a fresh clarification regarding bridges here on the new community forum?
I hope that the nomination and review process based on Wayspot criteria, not limited to bridges, will become widespread. Just to note, simply being old and being historical do not mean the same thing. I think we need to be careful not to confuse them. Additionally, I would like to explain the reason for my urgency via DM. I would like to express my gratitude in advance to all members of the Wayfarer team who will handle this request.
The basic principle is that every wayspot needs to meet the key criteria - Exercise, Social, Exploration. This is true for bridges just as it is for everything else.
When considering a bridge for submission, don’t ask “are bridges accepted”? Ask:
does this bridge encourage exploration?
does this bridge encourage exploration?
does this bridge encourage exercise?
A footbridge often encourages exercise. A bridge with significant interesting architectural details may encourage exploration. A road bridge is often just infrastructure.
A key point of the criteria refresh that moved us to Great places to socialise, exercise or explore, was to move away from the past. In the days of Ingress OPR there was a series of “ rules” for different situations. With the new criteria those went away.
Thus looking back at something from June 2021 is not relevant.
It is the application of the core criteria that is important.
Please reflect on what you have written.
It is perfectly possible to disagree with some and hold opposing views without being disrespectful and making unpleasant accusations.
With bridges, I try to think about what makes them interesting and how that links to the criteria. They can meet different criteria and for different reasons.
In my town we have 3 main road bridges (with footpaths too). The river crossings date back many centuries. All 3 are PoIs in the game, and they are things I’d point out to a visitor to my town - they are local landmarks and quite beautiful. The 2 larger ones have viewpoints to stand at, and have plaques about the construction, and ornate lamps along the sides.
I think all these points go to the bridges meeting criteria as a place for exploration.
For smaller footbridges, I think they can help us exercise by extending the trail over water or another obstruction. These are harder to nominate, but my arguement for those is that they link to the exercise criteria rather than explore.
Bridges that I haven’t nominated are basic traffic infrastructure or rail bridges - these often have signs on with a bridge reference number, but these are not particularly interesting and I’d never point them out to a visitor. They’re the kind of bridge you’d pass by and hardly notice. They don’t help us exercise, they’re not part of a trail, they’re not a desination either. I would say these do not meet criteria.
It does happen sometimes, a community deciding that a particular type of POI is eligible despite it not meeting criteria. Similar examples are the neighbourhood signs in the US and the state survey markers in New South Wales.
I am uncertain if your point has been translated correctly.
To be clear wayfinders are welcome to illustrate their posts with examples.
People posting in nomination support often show what they are planning to submit for advice on improvement.
They will also post other wayspots if they are trying to check if it should be reported.
What wayfinders are not allowed to do is post a specific nomination and make requests to vote a particular way on that nomination.
I strongly suspect that a lot of these nameplates are ignored by almost everyone who uses the bridges, although without you providing examples of what you are claiming, it is hard to be sure.
Certainly, almost anytime someone walks on the pavement on a road bridge, they don’t care what it is called or what the history is, but just want to get from A to B.
The fact that bridge wayspots have sprung up all over Japan is probably because local wayfarers have realised that they can get bridges approved as wayspots regardless of whether they meet criteria.