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[XiaNaphryz]

http://www.sfgate.com/business/article/San-Francisco-could-ban-sidewalk-delivery-robots-11150856.php

Delivery robots, a sci-fi idea that recently entered real-world testing, would be banned from San Francisco sidewalks under legislation Supervisor Norman Yee introduced on Tuesday.

“I want to keep our sidewalks safe for people,” Yee said. “Seniors, children, people with disabilities can’t maneuver quickly” to avoid robots. He has other concerns as well: potential job loss for delivery people; privacy issues, because the robots are equipped with cameras; and even terrorism, if someone loads up a robot with explosives.

Yee said he initially considered regulating the robots, but soon concluded that any rules would be almost unenforceable.

Robots that range in size from dorm fridge to shopping cart and go about 3 or 4 mph, the same speed as a pedestrian, are currently trundling along sidewalks in several cities for pilot delivery programs.

San Francisco startup Marble has a handful of robots delivering hot meals ordered on the Yelp Eat24 app in the Mission District and Potrero Hill. Estonia’s Starship Technologies is testing its automated couriers with DoorDash meals in Redwood City, and with Postmates deliveries in Washington. Last year it did a one-day test of its six-wheel robots in San Francisco. South San Francisco’s Dispatch is also developing and testing robots.

A San Francisco ban is a bad idea, said Paul Mackie, a spokesman for Virginia’s Mobility Lab, which researches advanced transportation.

“The space-saving R2D2s could fix a lot of our traffic headaches caused by the ever-growing number of delivery vans and trucks that have to park illegally and dangerously to make their dropoffs,” he said in an email. “It doesn’t make any sense for San Francisco leaders to be going backwards like this.”

So far, three cities — San Carlos, Redwood City and Washington — have approved robot deliveries, Mackie said. Virginia and Idaho also allow them, and Wisconsin has passed legislation now awaiting the governor’s signature to allow delivery robots to use sidewalks and crosswalks.

Yee said he’s trying to get ahead of problems. “People don’t think about the negative impacts of these creative new ideas until it’s too late,” he said. He believes for example that the Uber and Lyft cars that flood city streets cause traffic jams. “I’m trying to prevent some of the things that we did not prevent with other innovations” like ride hailing, he said.

 

[mrklaw]

They're probably a hell of a lot safer than grown ups riding scooters way too fast on the sidewalk/pavement, or people in mobility scooters that can go really fast.

And people are not able to manoeuvre quickly enough to avoid them? How do we ever manage to walk along without bumping into all the other people?

 

[Version 3.0]

People can't avoid them? Do they not avoid running into people on their own? If not, then of course they should. Doesn't mean they should be banned.

Also, are Uber traffic jams a real thing? First I've heard of it. I mean, how would you even tell? Traffic has sucked in many cities for a long time.

 

[Leynos]

“The space-saving R2D2s could fix a lot of our traffic headaches caused by the ever-growing number of delivery vans and trucks that have to park illegally and dangerously to make their dropoffs,”

Assholes double-parking EVERYWHERE is my greatest frustration while driving in San Francisco; it drives me absolutely insane. I don't care that you can't find a parking space, you do not get to block traffic for your convenience.

 

[XiaNaphryz]

Also, are Uber traffic jams a real thing? First I've heard of it. I mean, how would you even tell? Traffic has sucked in many cities for a long time.

SF in particular has issues with Uber/Lyft drivers double parking trying to find or wait for passengers, and SF has a lot of crowded narrow streets.

 

[Version 3.0]

SF in particular has issues with Uber/Lyft drivers double parking trying to find or wait for passengers, and SF has a lot of crowded narrow streets.

Ah, I see. Well, that's already illegal, and the law clearly hasn't prevented it. The article mentions delivery drivers doing the same, which these bots might help alleviate. Not sure it's a good example to use in order to argue for this law.

Those concerns do seem mostly valid, but it seems that they could be addressed, at least to some degree, outside of a complete ban.

Personally, I'd be most concerned about loss of jobs, but that's a much larger issue than this one type of automation.

 

[Nyoro SF]

I'm surprised that robots are effective deliverers in SF. Don't hooligans try to vandalize, break or steal them?