In my view the Wayfarer staff have taken a completely wrong position regarding Dutch biking trails.
Biking is very important in The Netherlands, we have more bikes than people. The government has even decided to assign official trail markers for recreational purposes. Many wayspots have been submitted, and in my view completely justified, as these are signs that have, by law, the purpose to mark recreational bike trails.
There are also many signs, again by law, to mark infrastructure directions.
In the attached link all official signs in The Netherlands are shown, and there are a number of signs dedicated for recreational purposes (see also this picture)
I hope that based upon this evidence the Wayfarer staff will admit that they were wrong, and that these signs are not part of the main infrastructure, but indeed signs that promote excercise, as mentioned in the eligibility requirements. https://www.verkeersbordenoverzicht.nl/
You are absolutely right, Niantic themselves say culture should be considered when nominating and reviewing and bicycling is a huge part of your culture and identity.
The second and third row are actually named trails, those are perfectly fine wayspots (if located in a safe spot, as some of these are on the road).
The first row are indeed considered general infrastructure as these are pointing to nodes in the network. The nodes are generally equipped with maps of where to bike, which in turn are considered good wayspots.
It is like Lego, you can build whatever you like, but the parts you use have been predefined.
So this way you can travel the entire country using recreational routes.
These nodes are not the same as the regular infrastructure, to get from city A to city B, there are also dedicated signs for bikes for this purpose, they just show the direction to these cities.
I completely understand that the infrastructure signs are not eligible, but looking at the wayspot criteria, signs that promote exercise and promote exploring the country should be allowed.
year 1999-2000 they switched to numbers.
So only classic-old trails still have a name on the sign
So there are many offical named trails base on numbers. Like this one
But not acceptable because numbers? While its cleary offical route.
Green signs recreational cycling network
Red signs functional cycling network
But basically it is if you have old classic trail its accepted, but new ones not because the numbers
Most are part of a cycling route, off course there also nodes that connects those offical routes
It should be if you can proof if its part of offical route, or is it just a node.
Since cycling is cultural, and also used a lot by tourists, hoop someday they will reconsider for the offical routes to be available, and not just the very old classic ones
Indeed however the top row are bike markers and not trails, trails are set out routes to follow these signs are direction signs to find the next node. I get that it is confusing but they are not trails, it has been clarified here: Restore disappeared pokestops - #8 by NianticAaron
I know this is the statement Wayfarer staff made, but that is exactly my point. In my view this is incorrect.
The whole point of markers is to follow directions so you don’t get lost.
And staff also said, that these signs are just part of the infrastructure, and as explained, these signs are not intended to get from one city to the next, but to follow the recreational routes.
Otherwise the guiding principle should be, only to accept trailheads.
The point of these markers is to show where you find the next map to see where to go to next. A trail is a specifically set out route. This is not that sorry.
You will only find these markers when you follow the trail.
The definition of a trail marker: “ Trail blazing or way marking is the practice of marking paths in outdoor recreational areas with signs or markings that follow each other at certain, though not necessarily exactly defined, distances and mark the direction of the trail.”
The map itself is definitely a great location for exploration. As an analogy you can see for example a museum which is a great wayspot, the marker pointing to it is not a great wayspot.
This are nods, what you show is only to see where you are on the map, the map also dont give any direction.
It also cycyling network. And these signs are always next or close by a map sign
