I don’t believe this is a difference in lifestyle here, but a difference in how we interpret the criteria, a difference in opinion so to say.
I used to ride the bus every day to work back in college. I wouldn’t consider the bus stop that I got off at near my job to be a good candidate for a Wayspot, as it’s just a sign on the corner of the street, which most of the bus stops in my city are. Most of these sign stops have 1-2 people waiting, or none most of the time. There are some shelters, but they are all pretty generic, nothing distinct about them. The main transit hubs, where there is indoor seating, ticket offices, and riders can transfer buses, do have Wayspots, as they are good places to be social.
There are some countries, many in Europe, that have had issues with regular bus stop signs having Wayspots when they don’t meet criteria, and Niantic has been working to remove them. Every so often, Wayfarers from those countries complain about these stops have Wayspots, saying they are too generic and not distinct, and asking for removal.
I’d like to note the first thing listed for rejection in the help center is this:
- Does not meet eligibility criteria
Does not seem to be a great place of exploration, place for exercise, or place to be social. The object is mass-produced, generic, or not visually unique or interesting.
Many neighborhood signs are seen as being generic and not unique, hence why most are rejected. Most just are signs with the name of the neighborhood on them, and some cities use a similar design for each. Ones for apartment complexes are seen as advertisements, as they typically inform people about how to inquire about renting.
However, there are some exceptions, such as the signs having something else that would make them eligible, such as a water fountain or unique artwork. The sign in question that the OP posted to me has some unique design elements, such as the wood paneling, and the snowflake cutout is also unique to me, hench why I noted I would approve it.
Looking at this sign from Street View, there is a sidewalk, so it’s accessible to pedestrians. Now, I don’t know if the development doesn’t want people walking/biking on the grass there, but it can be safely accessed. I therefore wouldn’t reject it for not being safe.
Yes, it is hard for neighborhood signs to get approved, either by ML or by the community; they are hit or miss. However, just looking at this sign, where it’s located, and the design, I’m not discouraging the OP to completely dismiss this POI; I do feel improvements can be made, and it would be an interesting Wayspot in my opinion in how I interpret the criteria.
I do that all the time in these little text boxes, and I usually agree with you, so I asked. Almost all my responses are edited after I see the whole text box post.
