Semi-retired professor Carolyn Marvin became a local celebrity facing down Philadelphia’s growing robot delivery army: ‘It’s my first amendment right to protest’
This is a really tough one to decide where to side. On the one hand, its first amendment rights and on the other, its the rights of corporations via robots. I’m so torn on this issue.
Good question. I’d say based on speed and risk. If they go as fast as a walking person and won’t bump people, upset the flow or get in the way, sidewalk is OK (to a limit, you can’t have hundreds of these things zooming all over.) If they are slow and on the street or bike lane, they’re likely to cause problems. I’ve heard some people say that companies need to pay to widen the sidewalk to accommodate these things, but that’s a whole different problem
Definitely not. Look at the short video in the article, and imagine there are dozens of those things, which will inevitably happen if this kind of thing ramps up, which is surely what the corporation who’s running these things wants. There would be no way to safely walk down the sidewalk, and people would be forced to walk in the street to get around them.
Yeah, fuck those people with movement disorders and their spinal and neurological disabilities, they should get back in the hospital bed where they belong. /s
To be fair if there are dozens of these things on the sidewalk then that means traffic is much better and the road can be cannibalized to increase the area available. Assuming the government acts fairly and promptly (hah, as if), this is a win for everyone involved.
I’m guessing because one of these means a 5-8 passenger internal combustion vehicle is not on the roads, but we all know pedestrians will never get that real estate back.
The road! It’s got 4 wheels and motors. Or we could think about how we’ve designed urban spaces that surrender all space to cars forcing everyone not in a car can get fucked, so maybe take one car lane away and make a new bike/ delivery bot lane.
Well unluckily we don’t have any special exceptions for people with disabilities, so this means I’m forced to double down and say wheelchair users also belong on the road, IF their wheelchair is electrified.
My argument is still that more space should be taken from driving and parking lanes rather than turning pedestrian areas into the dumping ground for anything that’s not a car, overcrowding it.
I’m not sure I see your point, unless you’re assuming college campuses and downtown cores aren’t still heavily car based in the US? I assure you most of them have a road or parking lane to spare near the restaurants that the bots want to pick up from
Honestly, have them share a bus lane, or expand bike lanes into a secondary lane for delivery robots. Make it on the outside though, so there’s a buffer for cyclists.
I already hate sharing a sidewalk with them, I would shit blood if one of these fuckers made me late for a bus transfer because it was doing something stupid in the shared lane.
This is a really tough one to decide where to side. On the one hand, its first amendment rights and on the other, its the rights of corporations via robots. I’m so torn on this issue.
Do delivery robots belong on the sidewalk?
Good question. I’d say based on speed and risk. If they go as fast as a walking person and won’t bump people, upset the flow or get in the way, sidewalk is OK (to a limit, you can’t have hundreds of these things zooming all over.) If they are slow and on the street or bike lane, they’re likely to cause problems. I’ve heard some people say that companies need to pay to widen the sidewalk to accommodate these things, but that’s a whole different problem
Sidewalks are for people. Allowing corporations to use infrastructure that was built for people, using the people’s money, to turn a profit is bad.
This woman is fighting the good fight, and I wish her the best of luck.
Definitely not. Look at the short video in the article, and imagine there are dozens of those things, which will inevitably happen if this kind of thing ramps up, which is surely what the corporation who’s running these things wants. There would be no way to safely walk down the sidewalk, and people would be forced to walk in the street to get around them.
Can apply the same principle for mobility scooters.
Yeah, fuck those people with movement disorders and their spinal and neurological disabilities, they should get back in the hospital bed where they belong. /s
To be fair if there are dozens of these things on the sidewalk then that means traffic is much better and the road can be cannibalized to increase the area available. Assuming the government acts fairly and promptly (hah, as if), this is a win for everyone involved.
That’s a stretch. There could still be plenty of car traffic while still having sidewalks filled with bots
No. Why would you possibly think that? Traffic would not get better.
I’m guessing because one of these means a 5-8 passenger internal combustion vehicle is not on the roads, but we all know pedestrians will never get that real estate back.
No!
Where do they belong, then?
The road! It’s got 4 wheels and motors. Or we could think about how we’ve designed urban spaces that surrender all space to cars forcing everyone not in a car can get fucked, so maybe take one car lane away and make a new bike/ delivery bot lane.
I have news for you about some wheelchairs
Well unluckily we don’t have any special exceptions for people with disabilities, so this means I’m forced to double down and say wheelchair users also belong on the road, IF their wheelchair is electrified.
My argument is still that more space should be taken from driving and parking lanes rather than turning pedestrian areas into the dumping ground for anything that’s not a car, overcrowding it.
Except they’re not road fit.
They can’t go at appropriate speeds (IIRC most of these go at best 10mph)
They’re small and low - visibility within city level follow distance is impossible
Overall, everyone’s safer if they stay on the pavement.
Well yeah that’s why they go on bike lanes.
Oh yeah, them moving suddenly into the way of a cyclist will end well.
These things are pretty much exclusively used on college campuses and downtown areas
I’m not sure I see your point, unless you’re assuming college campuses and downtown cores aren’t still heavily car based in the US? I assure you most of them have a road or parking lane to spare near the restaurants that the bots want to pick up from
Honestly, have them share a bus lane, or expand bike lanes into a secondary lane for delivery robots. Make it on the outside though, so there’s a buffer for cyclists.
I already hate sharing a sidewalk with them, I would shit blood if one of these fuckers made me late for a bus transfer because it was doing something stupid in the shared lane.
No