Valid HMDB.org Wayspot Removed

Location 41.31281318691711, -74.30042791658708

Still active on Scaniverse, this portal is still located there (historical marker sign AND monument object yet it was removed.


Hi @RoadRunnerNY13 . Welcome to the forum. I think what happened here is that it seems the way spot does not have what Niantic deems safe pedestrian access. It was probably reported by someone and removed.
The challenge you have is that the sign is along side a road with no shoulder, and also no sidewalk or established trail leading up to it. I looked at it on Google maps. From the satellite imagery it really doesn’t look like it has any safe pedestrian access. Unfortunately Street view is severely outdated. To overturn this removal you would need to show evidence that there is in fact safe pedestrian access in terms of a sidewalk or a well established walkway of some sort to get to the point.

1 Like

Its a rural road and I have walked it without issue many times,

The removal timing is suspicious because it lines up with when an aggressive Ingress player was at this wayspot

Anyone who happens to see that the portal exists can report it. A lot of Wayspots get reported for removal when something nearby is submitted for review.

If you would like to appeal this removal, then you should present evidence here for Niantic that it does actually have safe pedestrian access. That is not clear from Street View, where it looks dangerous. That also looks like it could be farm private property, so you may want to present evidence that you do not need to trespass to get to this.

(Not looking for a debate on whether this was correctly removed, just trying to help with your appeal.)

I’ve similarly walked the road many times with my in-laws dog. It’s as @RoadRunnerNY13 says, a rural road with barely any traffic. Though there’s not an explicitly paved shoulder, there is grass and gravel along it that is as removed from cars as a shoulder would be, if not more since there’s a bit of a dip into it.

1 Like

Unfortunately that typically does not count toward safe pedestrian access. As @cyndiepooh said, you can try formal appeal with evidence that the are is safe for pedestrians, but I wouldn’t be hopeful.

I’ve gotten a few historical markers in like that - all on country roads without sidewalks. I believe I’ve stressed (in my appeal statements, usually, because these are frequently denied) that there are no sidewalks in the general area, the road edge is wide and grassy, and that safe pedestrian access is present as much as it would be on a sidewalk in a city environment. If the speed limit is low there too, that helps as well! I wish you luck with your appeal when it becomes available, and hope your appeal reviewers agree with me on this one. :slight_smile:

2 Likes

Forgot to mention that this historical sign is one I’ve always wanted to visit, along with Hambletonian’s final resting place and monument. I hope there’s a Wayspot there when I do manage the trip!

1 Like


Would you consider this large grass area easily accessible? Yes there is a sign but the Wayspot is the rock in the middle of that grassy area, also, the ability for such a detailed scan I feel is proof of pedestrian access.

So the rock is the Wayspot that was removed and not the sign? I am very confused. And it doesn’t matter if you convince me or not.

I hope that Niantic can let you know why it was removed so you know what issues you need to address for this appeal.

Certainly a grassy area is someplace where people could be safely, but the question is how do they get there? There is no parking lot adjacent. There is no sidewalk or established trail to allow pedestrians to go from a parking lot, building, or other place to this area safely. That’s the issue. Yes, the sign and even the rock might sit in a small patch of grass but how is someone going to get the small patch of grass?

Currently, the only obvious way is to walk in the street, which is not considered safe even if it isn’t a heavily traveled road. as I mentioned before Street view on Google maps is severely outdated which you can tell by the attached photos. From both directions, it appears this area is just along a narrow country road with no shoulder or side walk. @Shilfiell mention that sometimes if there is a wide grassy area where people can safely walk that can be OK. However, that doesn’t seem to be keys here either.

If you have evidence that there is a parking lot nearby where people are supposed to park so that they can access this area or if now there are in fact, sidewalks or trails, that’s what you need to show .


Not to necessarily debate with you but that seems to be a tough expectation for rural areas, that road is safe as you can see the gravel should in the streetview photo you shared

That’s the thing. I don’t see any shoulder except a short area of grass that isn’t wide enough to park. I also can’t find the official speed limit sign, but it seems to be 55 MPH.

It may be if you live in the house right there, you can get to it, but for anyone else, there just doesn’t seem to be a safe way to do so. If you have any more evidence that would help your case.

Rural areas are at a disadvantage for sure. There are threads about ways to find eligible spots in rural areas. But, sometimes there just isn’t going to be a way.

I don’t think I’ve ever factored “safe parking nearby” into my “safe pedestrian access” evaluations - because I’m thinking of those who are not in cars at all.

Of course, many of my nominations are made in or near Amish communities where vehicular traffic is less common.

1 Like

I am not a fan of this “car-centric” approach, I walked there no problem

I guess this historical sign must be intended for drivers? Seems like the text is a bit small.

Having an informational sign there implies pedestrian access.

No, these signs are all over the country on the sides of roads that have absolutely no pedestrian access whatsoever. I see them all the time.

How are people expected to read them?

1 Like

I don’t really think that’s a consideration that the people who put them there factor in. Seriously, I’ve seen them all over the country in places that are easy to access and in places that could never ever be accessed except for just driving by them.

Another reason might be because some of been there much longer than the current road system, at least in its current form . In Virginia, for example, they’ve been placing these signs along the road since 1927. It’s very likely that some of them were placed long before there were highways or other dangerous roads nearby.

1 Like

Are you suggesting that some of these signs are 97 years old? Or that somebody keeps repainting/replacing signs in inaccessible locations?

If you see a sign in a place where it can never be accessed how do you propose it got there, and what is motivating the effort and expense?

Why would anyone pay to put fine-print on a sign and install it where nobody can read it?