Hi Niantic ID,
I would like to appeal the removal of the following Wayspot. It seems to have been mistakenly removed under the assumption that it is on Private Residential Property (PRP), but it is actually located in a public area.
- Wayspot Title: 鳴門・徳島自転車案内板
- Location (lat/lon): 34.112927, 134.594294
- City: Japan/Tokushima
- Country: Japan
- Screenshot of the Rejection Email (do not include your personal information): (If you have a removal notification email, please attach the screenshot here. If not, you can leave this blank or delete this line.)
- Additional Information (if any): This Wayspot is a public bicycle information board installed for cyclists and tourists. It is located on public land (along a public road) and is safely accessible to the public at any time. It does not interfere with any private residential property. As can be verified on Google Maps, this spot directly faces a public road and is completely outside of any private property. I have also attached a current photo of the location to prove that the information board still exists in a safe, public space.
Please review this information and restore the Wayspot. Thank you for your time and consideration.
Hello and Welcome,
I would also consider whether the removal was due to there being no safe pedestrian access to the POI???
Good Luck
Thank you for your feedback and concern.
To clarify, this Wayspot is an information board specifically for a designated cycling and walking path. The area shown in the photo is a public path where pedestrians and cyclists are encouraged to pass safely.
Therefore, it is definitely not a violation of “pedestrian access.” It is a public facility intended for recreational use, and anyone can safely approach and view this information board on foot.
I appreciate your advice, and I hope this clarification helps confirm its eligibility.
My comment was based on Streetview (images below).
It shows that vehicles are allowed on the road in front of the sign.
Although in the real world the low amount of traffic might make this safe to cross and view the sign in the “Wayfarer” world there is nowhere for a group doing a Raid to stand without being in an area shared with vehicles.
I am not saying that your opinion is wrong just that this would need to be addresses if you wanted the wayspot returned.
ps. What are the building being built behind, maybe waiting until these are complete and maybe the new infrastructure will improve your chances.
Good Luck.
Thank you for looking into the Street View and providing detailed advice.
To clarify the layout and safety of this location:
-
Pedestrian Safety: There is actually a designated pedestrian-only path running right next to it. It is the narrower path visible on the right side of the photo. Pedestrians can safely stand and view the sign there without interfering with any vehicle traffic.
-
The White Wall: The white structure in the background is not a temporary construction fence, but a permanent boundary wall marking the property line. This fact further proves that the information board is located entirely on public land/roadside space, not on private property.
Since there is a safe walking path right beside it and it is clearly on public land, I believe it meets all the safety criteria for a Wayspot. Thank you again for your helpful insights!
1 - The walkway would be looking at the back of the sign so would not be encouraging “Exercise” of “Explore”.
2 - Wayfarer rules state that you must be able to stand safely “at” the waypoint not somewhere else close enough to interact with it in Pokemon Go. Remember that the waypoint can be used in other games which may not have the 80m interaction area.
I see your point, and I really appreciate your sharp insights and detailed explanation of the Wayfarer criteria.
To clarify the situation in front of the sign: even when standing directly in front of it to read the board, pedestrian safety is fully ensured. The space in front of the sign is part of a large, wide road area with more than enough room for people to stand safely without being in danger of any vehicle traffic.
It is a common infrastructure design in this area for cyclists and walkers to stop directly in front of such information boards.
Thank you again for helping me understand the criteria better!
こんにちは。通りすがりの日本のwayfarerです。
OPが提示した画像に、私が赤色の枠を加筆して引用しました。無断での加工をお許しください。
この赤枠の中にある看板の正確な日本語を議論の参考として共有します。
行政（徳島県）が設置したこの看板には、以下のように書かれています。
「鳴門•徳島自転車道 このコースは自転車歩行者道で、サイクリングはもちろん散歩やマラソンにも利用できます。一般車両の進入を禁止します。(河川管理用車及び緊急自動車を除く) 徳島県」
トピックのご参考になれば幸いです。
コメントありがとうございます。
確かに、一般車両の進入禁止の文言があります。
英文でも共有させていただきます！
English Text
For reference in this discussion, I would like to share the exact text written on the sign inside the red box, which was officially installed by the local government (Tokushima Prefecture).
It reads as follows:
“Naruto-Tokushima Cycling Road: This route is a dedicated path for bicycles and pedestrians, and can be used for cycling, walking, and running. General vehicular traffic is prohibited. (Except for river management and emergency vehicles) - Tokushima Prefecture”
I hope this helps clarify that the area is fundamentally designed for pedestrian safety and is free from regular traffic.
設定言語以外の言語はハートの横にある地球のボタンを押すと翻訳して読めます。
なので私の日本語もほとんどの方々が読めているはずです。
因みに文の途中で言語を変更するとボタンがでないようですね。
There is an existing Wayspot nearby called “Naruto-Tokushima Cycling Road Guide Sign (34.112678, 134.594348).” It shares a similar nature with the Wayspot currently being appealed for restoration and is located in very close proximity. Therefore, it is possible that it was determined to be a duplicate.
Furthermore, even if the cycling road itself is closed to vehicular traffic, we must still judge the safety of the specific location where the object (in this case, the cycling road guide map) is situated. There are no sidewalks or painted road shoulders. While it is at the edge of the road—which, under the Japanese Road Traffic Act, is a space where pedestrians are permitted to walk—it is uncertain whether this would be deemed a safe place to stand and gather according to Wayfarer criteria.
As a side note, the lot directly behind this object is currently used as a material storage yard for a construction contractor.
Thank you again for the very detailed analysis and for checking the nearby Wayspots.
To address the points you raised:
-
Regarding Duplication:
While there is another guide sign nearby, the appealed Wayspot is a distinct and separate information board with different contents/maps. They are individual structures installed along the path to provide guidance at different spots, so they are not exact duplicates.
-
Regarding the Space and Safety Criteria:
Since this entire route is officially designated as a cycling and pedestrian-only road (closed to general vehicles), the concept of standard “sidewalks” or “painted shoulders” does not apply here in the same way it does on regular motor roads. The entire width of this paved road is a safe zone for pedestrians. Therefore, standing or gathering in front of the sign does not put anyone at risk of vehicular traffic, fully satisfying the safety criteria.
-
Regarding the Contractor’s Yard:
The material storage yard is located completely behind the boundary wall on private property. The activity inside the yard does not interfere with the public path, and the space in front of the guide sign remains entirely safe and accessible to the public.
I appreciate this constructive discussion, and I hope the Niantic team will take these local structural factors into account.
I do seem to be coming across as “Mr Negative” which is not my intention and the conversation does seem to be starting to go round in circles so I will step back after the following comments…
The 2 screen grabs I posted above show 1: an area where vehicles will use the nomination location to get in and out. 2: There is a vehicle parked at the location so vehicles definitely use this area.
Apart when vehicles pass or park there.
See previous comment. Remember that it might seen extremely safe to have 1 or 2 stood there but Niantic have to consider a large group meeting up for a Raid.
Please don’t put too much hope in to it, I have seen many much safer areas Rejected by Niantic for “Safety” such as small grass circles creating a turning circle at the end of a small cul-de-sac that might see less than a dozen vehicle movements a day and that is when you could stand safely on the grass but as that is not its purpose it is not counted as safe in the world of Wayfarer.
My suggestion would be to move on from this and use your energy to find more suitable wayspots.
Good Luck.
I am not trying to justify the reason for the removal; I only pointed out the potential factors that might have led to it. If this Wayspot is not to be restored, I would like the team to clarify the specific reason for its removal, as this would help deepen our understanding of the criteria.
Furthermore, my mention of the land behind the sign being a material storage yard for a construction contractor—rather than a construction site—is entirely unrelated to the stated reason for removal. I was simply answering the question posed by SlimboyFat71.
I would also like to bring up another issue: the information board is not located exactly where you indicated. According to the satellite view, the correct location is approximately 3 meters southeast of that point. While this is generally within an acceptable margin of error, it Exceeds the grid lines used in the inclusion rules. This may be the reason the wayspot was reported.
Thank you for your response, and I am not trying to blame anyone either.
I truly appreciate everyone pointing out all the different possibilities and sharing your insights. I am very glad we could have such a constructive discussion here.
I will now wait for Niantic’s official decision on this matter. Thank you all again for your help!
先ほど看板の文言について述べましたが、一つ引っかかる点があります。
「車両進入禁止であるならば、なぜ奥の道路に車止め（ボラード）があるのか？」という点です。（添付した画像の左側、赤枠のエリアにある車止めです。）
地図を見る限り、この候補地は県道との接続点であるように見えます。県道から候補の先にある自転車道ではない道へ車両で向かうことができるのか否か。
地域をよく知る人がそこを誠実に説明できれば、チームスタッフの正確な判断につながると思います。
If the condition for participating in the game is simply to be within a range of several dozen meters around the Wayspot, then players obviously do not all need to stand or gather in a spot where they can physically touch it. Instead of choosing a dangerous location just because it is as close as possible, players should find a safe spot within the required range to participate in the game. However, “safe access,” which is a necessary requirement for Wayfarer approval, has absolutely nothing to do with how it will be utilized within each individual game.
In Wayfarer, “safe access” means that you can walk to and stand in a location where you can directly touch the object or place in question. In this case, it requires that you can safely walk up to and stand right next to or in front of the “Naruto-Tokushima Bicycle Path Map(34.112912,134.594325)” sign, where you can physically touch it. (Upon checking the Street View history, the faded letters at the top of the sign were clearly legible.) Let’s wait for their response regarding whether the team deems the area around that sign to be safe. I hope it will be deemed safe.
Thanks for the appeal, @AdmireX37! We have taken another look but stand by our decision to retire this Wayspot.
