Pokestops are being removed?

Official statement below

Some of the pokestops I uploaded (mostly Fietsroutepaaltjes, which are traffic signs for bicicles in The Netherlands), are getting removed out of no where, I don’t know why and I didn’t get a message or anything. Many of my Routes are attached to these routes and suddenly they are “Achieved”. Is this intentional? If so could I get explained why without TMI?

Thank you in advance!

Official Niantic statement:

These signboards are directional signs to the next node which are similar to general directional signs as has been established through different discussion on this forum. These are not part of a defined trail. As a result, we are unable to restore these.

I can’t comment on the removals or whether the original Wayspots were eligible without seeing more information but it is correct that any Routes connected to a PokéStop get archived if that PokéStop it starts/ends at is removed.

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Niantic didt give a clear awnser yet. But maybe this topic helps.

Here they also removed a lot cycling route number signs,

Nothing to do about it then look for other things to nominate

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Thanks for telling, that kinda really sucks becouse most fietsroutes are just nameless routes, we are that advanced in biking in the netherlands that we usually don’t name routes, we just take whatever route we like to get at a location… Niantic being Niantic I guess.

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@Lopendebank3 Even the named, well-documented ones are being removed. Maybe Niantic doesn’t want bicycle routes anymore, only pedestrian routes?

An explanation on this still hasn’t been given and I doubt it ever will.

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Please appeal those cases, well-documented trails sound like good wayspots if their placement is safe.

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Hi @iFrankmans

I would love to appeal, except there are literally hundreds of these removed. An example:

(the red part of the road is for cyclists, the grey part is for pedestrians)

The name of the trail in this case, is ‘Dordwijk route’ and is well-documented on the city’s official site, where this is listed as one of only three routes through the city:

Now, almost all of these signs are gone and more are disappearing every month. Many people (even in the original forums) have already tried to return them, to no avail.

It would be preferable and time saving if Niantic could point out why these points are unacceptable, and why people have even been given warnings about submitting them, while they have always perfectly matched OPR/Wayfarer criteria.

I can therefore only surmise that they are unacceptable because they either are bicycle routes, or they look too much like traffic signs. Unfortunately, this is how they look throughout the country.

These look very similar to the general directional signs to the next node in the bicycle node network, which are indeed regarded as general direction signs as these are not a clearly defined trail.

While for these specific ones they actually state a trail (name), so please appeal one, I am also curious about the team’s decision.

I’m going to go out on a limb and assume the response will be something along the lines of “We cannot approve this appeal as it is a normal trail marker”.

This is not helping the discussion. Just let the team decide instead of speculating.

This whole discussion could just be ended permanently if Niantic would stop being so uptight about those trail markers. I completely fail to see how the trail markers from the Dutch and Belgian node-based cycling route networks are any less eligible than this:


Which is literally just an arrow pointing out a public footpath.


These signs are official. These signs are at decision points. They are unique objects with unique functions. They hit all the points that the criteria clarification CLEARLY lists under an example of what’s eligible.

And what’s even more ridiculous is that the intersection points of the network apparently ARE eligible but the markers leading you to them aren’t.

@iFrankmans Indeed, the directional ones look like this:

…and are known to have been voted online, especially during the abuse waves in the Netherlands of last year. These are just directions and are in no way a trail.

I will appeal one of the markers to see the team’s decision and post results.

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A case has been presented in thread Wayspot restoration request: Dutch trail markers and an appeal made to decide on its restoration.

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You have a decision on your appeal :disappointed_relieved:

Told ya. Either they just don’t care to listen to us, or they’re still mad at the Netherlands as a whole for that bot abuse nonsense that only a few people are actually responsible for.

At least my question on the bike/pedestrian thing has been answered…

It’s still weird. I can see where they’re coming from. Looking at this map:

… you’ll notice the red line, and along are the nodes. “45” is one of them (the sign in my example points to it). Those nodes are the real trail markers, according to Niantic.

What’s weird is: the distance between the nodes is so large, one could not possibly follow the route without these ‘directional signs’. In my opnion, the directional signs are clearly trail markers that define the route. If they were not in place, the route would actually become undefined as the nodes could be visited using any road one would choose.

I’ll put that last one in the appeal, and leave it at this. I fear I will not get past the “it has been established” argument.

Yes. Glad they answered your questions.

Not agreeing to you doesn’t mean not listening to the community. Stop provoking people.

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Yep. That’s precisely the part they refuse to take into consideration. Each and every section in this node network is its own unique route with its own numbered markers. They’re so focused on apparently requiring a name for their routes (even though no such requirement exists in the criteria clarifications) when numbers make a route just as unique as any name would.

And you’re also completely right about the hypocrisy of allowing the nodes to exist in the database, but not the markers leading you from node to node. What’s the point then? Either have all of it or none of it. Only implementing half of the network (and arguably the less important half at that) serves no purpose.

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Its more if the cycling trail is made before a certain year starting in 1999 till 2014.
Here you have a good site whit information.

25 jaar fietsknooppunten - Nederland Fietsland.

And every new named Route is marked whit numbers since then. Maybe a few whit name

This new jubileum route is also made out of numbers.

I think the problem is that you can use it in 2 ways. Offical trail you can follow, or as infastructure to cycle anywhere you wanna go to

only solution is to look for walking trail markers instead. Maybe you already have done so, if not

Here you can find some offical walking trails from the location from your screenshot @jeroenix

https://www.wandelnet.nl/wandelroute/673/Eiland-van-Dordrecht

Part that go also over the blue line.
https://www.wandelnet.nl/wandelroute/1635/Biesboschpad-etappe-05

There are some great walking routes you can nominate if you haven’t done already.