Wikipedia:WikiProject U.S. Roads/Newsletter/Issues/Issue016/Featured story

The word "decommissioned" causes trouble

By Mitchazenia

Recently, NE2 began to change highway articles using the term decommissioned to deleted with the reason that "decommissioned" was a neologism. Many users at WP:USH and WP:USRD disagreed, reverting all edits back to the status quo. A Wikipedia: Request for Comments was filed on NE2 (for the third time). A very long discussion about what term or wording to use occurred on the RFC and on the USH talk page. User:Vidioman requested mediation for the situation, as a consenus could not be reached. User:Mr.Z-man took the case and helped calm things out. However, the discussion has become dormant as there hasn't been one comment since November 2.

How it began

On October 16, 2007, a user posted a message at Talk:Decommissioned highway. User:NE2 began by trying to find a source, but failed to. NE2, on the assumption that the term was a neologism in the context of highway designations, began looking for a new word to use. User:Scott5114 disagreed that the term was a neologism and added that the definition was an application of the dictionary definition "to revoke the the commission of". The discussion spread out between different users, figuring out where the term was used.

The major issues

On October 21, 2007, NE2 began going through different state articles and replacing the term decommissioned with the term deleted. These edits were reverted, including a change to the template, Infobox road. NE2 defended his actions, claiming that "You don't need "consensus" to improve articles. If you don't think the removal of a misleading neologism improves the article, you're wrong". After some heated discussion, several USRD members went and filed a request for comment on NE2. 5 users certified the basis of NE2's actions, with several outside views looking at: one, the NE2-bashing on IRC; two, that NE2 is working on a non-existent action; and three, that this was too minor and unimportant an issue to be worried about.

The argument was moved to WT:USRD where, a discussion ensued over the word. However, the discussion began to come together, when October 24, NE2 made the following comment:

Can we come to an agreement that we can clarify language - not replace "decommissioned" with "deleted", which I was wrong to do, but actually make it clearer exactly what happened -was the number replaced with another? Was it removed from a road that already had another number? Was it turned back to the county?

Later that same day, Scott5114 replied with the following:

I'd have no problem with Route 4 was decommissioned on August 9, 1991 and became Route C or Route 10 was decommissioned on April 4, 1919 and is currently maintained by Jasper County.

However, NE2 came up with another example, but was quickly denied. The examples began to get long, causing a 4th section on WT:USRD to open up, saying that there was no consensus to the removal of the term. The 4th section did not accomplish anything, except for a long discussion over boldness.

How did it end?

After a mediation request was created, several ideas came up for new words, such as abandoned, cancelled, eliminated and abolished. However, no consensus has been reached as of yet, and the mediation is still open. There has not been a reply in a week.