Hello everyone, I would like to request some guidance and opinions about a safety issue regarding a Gym in my area.
This Gym is located at a place where there is no sidewalk or pedestrian area at all.
To interact with the Gym, players must stand directly on the road where vehicles actively drive and park.
I have attached 5 photos showing the location from different angles:
• No safe pedestrian space near the Gym
• Vehicles frequently drive and park in the same space where players would need to stand
• The only interaction range of the Gym overlaps with an active driving lane
• The crosswalk in front of the building leads directly into the road with no safe place to stand
• Parking and traffic circulation zones fully cover the playable area
Because of these conditions, it is impossible to access the Gym without obstructing traffic and putting players at risk of being hit by a vehicle.
I would like to ask the community:
• In this situation, should this Gym be considered a permanently unsafe location?
• If so, is removal the appropriate solution, or are there alternative actions?
I appreciate any feedback or guidance. Safety is my main concern here.
Translating the text on the image, it says this building is a church. The wayspot for the church should be on the church building, and I sincerely hope that people would be able to safely stand inside the church. So from that point of view there should be no safety issues here.
In Ingress, this portal is at 35.232977, 128.653873. This is close to the co-ordinates you gave, but crucially, your co-ordinates are inside a building and not in the road. Can you please check the co-ordinates.
If you have safety concerns about this location, your photos must show the wayspot. Showing the area near the wayspot, without actually including it, is very unhelpful. It isn’t possible to match your images to the wayspot to know that you are showing the correct area.
I understand the point that the building itself is not unsafe.
However, Niantic safety criteria focus on whether the physical location where players interact with the Wayspot is safe for pedestrians.
In the current placement, the interaction radius is only reachable from the street, where there is no sidewalk and active vehicle traffic. Players cannot access the Wayspot from inside the building, so the only playable position is on the road.
So the concern here is not about the church building, but about the fact that the playable area is permanently unsafe for pedestrians according to Niantic’s safety guidelines.
If the church does not allow trainers to physically be where it is safe, you could contact staff at the church to make them aware they can request the game location be removed. A property owner request to have the Wayspot removed from their premises with proof of credentials will be honored.
Niantic’s policy is that wayspots pose a safety risk, causing inconvenience to users, disrupting facility operations, and threatening player safety. Given these factors, is it difficult to reconsider this decision? If we recognize these issues and review them again and get the same answer, we will accept and accept your opinion.
That is obviously not Niantic’s policy and it is very disingenuous of you to spin it like that. This location is not unsafe. It is a church; visitors to the church are able to access in a normal manner.
I apologize if my opinion offended you. My response was based on my focus on ensuring user safety during gameplay. While it’s true that church visitors can enter and exit normally, I was concerned that the movement of vehicles could pose a safety risk to outsiders using the Wayspot.
Why are users of the PoI accessing it differently to church goers? Just use the safe route, or skip it. We do still need to apply common sense and keep safe while walking to play, just as we would at any other time
The game even reminds you to be aware of your surroundings. If there does exist a safe place for people allowed to be there to gather, then it meets Niantic’s standards. I gave you another alternative to pursue, but this location is not a safety issue in itself.
The location you reference, as with the vast majority of PokéStops and Gyms in Pokemon GO, was submitted by users for inclusion in the game.
These users, like Niantic, are strong supporters of public space and believe that our cities and communities are healthier when citizens make use of public space bringing us into contact with the outdoors and with one another.
Our games are meant to augment reality, not replace it. We do encourage our users to be safe and alert at all times, abide by local laws, and respect the locations they visit and people they meet during their exploration. We advise our players to review and follow the Trainer Guidelines at all times while playing Pokémon GO to ensure a safe and enjoyable experience for everyone!
As explained earlier, the PokéStop/Gym can be accessed from a safely accessible location and therefore does not currently meet our criteria for removal.
