Last year, we added a legitimate pokestop in our village.
Somewhere between end of February and start of March it got removed.
If I look in wayfarer there is no explanation, but it has a red ribbon in the right upper angle.
Last week the pokestop showed up again but under a different name.
And today it is removed again.
To our small community here, the pokestop seems legit (religious symbol (hand-made cross in wood with en Script Ions), which signals the entry of our village and its borders) and since we don’t have a lot of pokestop here around, we would really like to understand what s happening and why.
I’m not sure if you’re specifically asking about this or unsure, but the red ribbon just means it was approved. Once a nomination or contribution is approved, it will always have the ribbon indicating approval.
It seems likely that it was reported for removal, removed by Niantic staff, and then somebody else in your area re-nominated it, had it approved, and then it was reported and removed, again.
Since there is a pattern of it being removed, I would hold of on trying to resubmit it - you don’t want to look like you’re spamming abuse.
You can ask for clarification on if this meets removal criteria - such as being unsafe or on single family private residential property. It would help if a little more information (exact location and new photos) were provided and community members can assist. Niantic staff sometimes (not always) offers their own clarification, as well.
who reported it ? (we have 1 personne living in another village, known for flying, having around 10 different accounts and doing bad things to people removing him from gyms (which we do))
based on which criterias it was removed ?
There are some details in my previous post with my initial request from last year.
Additionally to what I can say:
Pokestop location is safe (large sidewalk on the opposite side of the village road next to it)
not on private ground, but on “village owned ground” (public ground): delimitation is even more clear as the fence of private ground goes around the pokestop leaving it outside the fence
If you see anything else we could check or do, please don’t hesitate
Reports are anonymously done (unless appealed here their rejection is appealed here on the forum). While you have a cheater in mind it can also be literally anyone
Having the side walk on the opposite side of the road never counts. You have to be able to safely stand directly in front of it, which would be on the street, and therefore this removal seems correct, and the cross should never have been accepted in the first place.
pictures on street views are … 11 years old
=> please find in attachement some recent pictures
As you can see, you can easily stand beside it and there is even a pedestrian land way behind the red picket.
Additionally, there are a huge number of pokestops (not in ourvillage, but in Vevey, Montreux, Lausanne, etc …) which you can only access “from the other side of the road” (paintings on building for example).
I’m not an expert on Swiss land (I was there a few months ago and added some nominations in Bern and Solothurn to my portfolio ) but the land on the other side of the cross does appear fenced off (even if just a partial barrier) which doesn’t look like it’s intended for the public. I will add that that’s just my perception. Many others are more familiar with Europe and Switzerland. Providing sources to help prove the location is safely accessible will help but it is ultimately to Niantic to decide - and note that at this time they have made the decision, twice.
If you encounter Wayspots you feel are unsafe to access, you’re welcome to report them. However, I do advise against doing it out of dissatisfaction for the result of this one.
Well, the fence is for the cows on the small Hill (you can’t see on the picture) on the right. But you can walk on the “public side of the fence” (grass path) until the small path after the red picket, which then goes further around the fenced area.
Beside that, it is a village road = not so many cars, more people walking or jogging on both side of that road than cars I would say (especially, that there are 2 forests (on both sides further), one of which hold a destructed old castle/fort)
Regarding reports to Niantic … honestly, most players here have given up:
the person I said before (flying, having at least 10 accounts, etc etc etc) was reported numerous time to Niantic (including by myself, many people from Lausanne, Vevey, etc …) and … never got banned in almost 10 years.
there are multiple locations (in La Tour-de-Peilz for example) where people took a picture of another art piece (usually wall paintings) and put its location at their house/appartement ( = fake private pokestop). We reported numerous as well to Niantic and not a single one got removed …
So after a while people find it so absurd that they stop reporting … and on the other side you have a lot of seemingly valid pokestops, which got rejected. => last year I moved to another location and with local players we maid a round trip on the upper part of the village to find valid pokestop points. On about 15-20 requests (most being on Art pieces you can find around the village (which is well-known for it), the only one which got validated is this cross which was now removed.
Ps: thank your for having added some pokestops in Bern and Solothurn … even if it is far away from where we live
Hi and welcome, as someone located somewhat closer, can confirm that as others have said this is unlikely to be restored due to the pedestrian access aspect. I understand the level of danger is different than on a highway, but it is not inexistent, and unfortunately you’re on the other side of the formal rule here.
Regarding rejected art piece wayspots, these sound like something that shouldn’t have a lot of trouble when presented right. If you’re willing to make a thread with these with Nomination Support (using complete nomination screenshots), I’m sure the community would be very happy to take a look and advise on improving your chances.
How are you reporting them? If you’re only reporting them through the game, then that usually isn’t enough information. You can appeal in a new thread on this forum.
To be honest, I am really sad, disappointed and find the situation kind of absurd.
I tried for this single pokestop and if the reason is really that there is not a “stone sidewalk around the cross” (but a grass path), in a village, with a road having less cars than joggers and walking people on both sides of the road … I don’t don’t know what to say.
I mean I play since the very beginning, have seen and reported several players (flyers, multi-accounts, etc …) and fake pokestops with 3 different communities (at least) with almost no results. But when you try to add seemingly valid pokestop, 95% get rejected for seemingly no reason … and on the other side you see pokestops which absolutely don’t follow the guidelines (such as stores, etc …) which get validated, it s kind of discouraging.
I mean, I have a wife, 2 kids, a life and can’t spend a day on every pokestop to hear at the end (for me) such none sense. Perhaps somebody else from our tiny village community with more time might continue … perhaps not … but I find really sad that trying to add more pokestops, so activity for all players (and money for Niantic over modules …) to a tiny village (1500 people but a cultural art village) is so hard whereas in a town every rock or so has a pokestop for mostly poor or no reason.
I might be a bit salty on this one … but it s really kind of absurd when you see so many pokestops offshore in a lake, on private grounds, at schools or other sensible/dangerous places … and this one was reported (by most likely the flyer with 10 accounts ?) because being unsafe, where the reality is that you might most likely get a sun burn before being hit by a car if standing in the middle of the road (despite the stoned sidewalk on one side and the grass path on the other side) at this location.
Despite all, thanks to everyone who tried to help us understand what was happening here.
) but the land on the other side of the cross does appear fenced off (even if just a partial barrier) which doesn’t look like it’s intended for the public. I will add that that’s just my perception. Many others are more familiar with Europe and Switzerland. Providing sources to help prove the location is safely accessible will help but it is ultimately to Niantic to decide - and note that at this time they have made the decision, twice.