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'We had to get out of the way': The backlash over delivery robots

bbc.com

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Re: 'We had to get out of the way': The backlash over delivery robots

#51

Post by al_borland »

1shooner wrote: post #38
al_borland wrote: post #35

Earlier quoted context omitted.

As someone who regrettably orders a lot from DoorDash, I’ve had a lot of issues with drivers getting orders wrong (picking up the wrong bag, delivering to the wrong house, etc) or taking an hour to deliver something (even if I pay for the straight to me option) because they’re working on 2 apps at the same time. I’ve also had heavy smokers deliver, where my food tastes like cigarettes. It’s been enough of an issue wh…

>regrettably orders a lot from DoorDash I live in a dense urban area where it's easy to walk to get stuff, so that biases my perception, but why do you order from door dash? Is it a time constraint? Unless I was incapacitated or seriously out of time (which, as you say, Door dash doesn't reliably solve for), I can't imagine not walking within the range of these robots.

From what I can find, the delivery radius on these things is about 3 miles. While I have a lot of options in that range, the vast majority of those options are a little over a mile away. So it would probably be a 2.5 miles round trip walk. I’ve done it, but it’s not like living in a dense urban area where I can walk outside and have dozens of options (which I’ve had in the past). My allergies prevent me from wanting to make the walk during any season that isn’t winter, as there is a lot of green along the way. I’d also be eating alone at a restaurant in that case, because I don’t want to spend 20 minutes carrying home a bag of food, which in the winter would be cold by the time I get there.

I’ve been dealing with a lot of burnout and depression, so the motivation to leave the house is low. I work from home. The idea of driving just to go pick something up and bring it home is one my brain won’t jive with. If I’m driving somewhere it’s going to be the grocery store. That also means taking the shower I probably didn’t take before work. Since I’m going to the store, if I were to pickup prepared food I’d want it to be on the way home, which limits the options a lot. The area a mile from me with a lot of options is a small suburban downtown, which usually means dealing with a parking structure and then walking, if I wanted to drive there. The hassle factor is high.

If I was in your situation, I would do what you do, and have. I’m just far enough away where it annoying to walk to anything, and driving is equally annoying for such a trivial thing. Then the burnout/depression has me living the hermit life for the most part. Now that I’ve spent so much time inside, it requires a bigger reason to get me out. It’s a problem; I’ve found myself outside looking up at the sky, like I forgot how high it went.

Re: 'We had to get out of the way': The backlash over delivery robots

#52

Post by fouc »

Hizonner wrote: post #41
exmadscientist wrote: post #20

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Robots that cannot share sidewalks with humans, including humans in wheelchairs, should be banned from sidewalks. Full stop. End of discussion. They can use the streets proper if they want to. I'm sure there is some way to formalize that using ADA sidewalk requirements or something similar.

> They can use the streets proper if they want to. How about no? They'll block traffic there, too.

Vehicles have been far too dominant in city planning, it's probably time to re-prioritize, make it look more like Netherlands or some other European countries perhaps.

I suggest a priority order somewhat like:

pedestrians > bicyclists > delivery bots > vehicles

currently in America I suppose it probably looks more like this currently:

vehicles > delivery bots > pedestrians.

Re: 'We had to get out of the way': The backlash over delivery robots

#53

Post by krater23 »

lelandbatey wrote: post #21
Lammy wrote: post #18

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Those are not comparable at all, because cars also have humans inside.

Sure, and the delivery robots have people who want the things at the end, and the robots can't (apparently) go in the road. Roads used to be for people and wagons, till cars showed up and kicked the people off. Now delivery bots are trying to do the same thing, kick the humans on foot off the sidewalks.

You are hardly searching for parallels where no are.

Re: 'We had to get out of the way': The backlash over delivery robots

#54

Post by ncallaway »

solid_fuel wrote: post #4

I have a friend who uses a wheelchair and he hates encountering these things in the wild. I know there's a couple different companies making these things and I'm not sure if they all behave like this, but they take up the whole sidewalk and won't backup or turn to get out of the way. Instead they just sit there blinking and beeping at my friend, and of course in a wheelchair it's not easy (or safe!) to go over the cu…

If I saw a delivery robot blocking someone in a wheel-chair, I'm moving it off the sidewalk and I'm not particularly concerned if it's able to complete its trip after that.

Re: 'We had to get out of the way': The backlash over delivery robots

#55

Post by onetokeoverthe »

solid_fuel wrote: post #4

I have a friend who uses a wheelchair and he hates encountering these things in the wild. I know there's a couple different companies making these things and I'm not sure if they all behave like this, but they take up the whole sidewalk and won't backup or turn to get out of the way. Instead they just sit there blinking and beeping at my friend, and of course in a wheelchair it's not easy (or safe!) to go over the cu…

[dead]

Re: 'We had to get out of the way': The backlash over delivery robots

#56

Post by krater23 »

iberator wrote: post #8
Avicebron wrote: post #2

They had these in Berkeley when I was there, my thought was always, why aren't the homeless hunting these for food?

Because it's a crime? A major issue for the homeless is not food but shelter and storage. In this case risk vs reward it crazy low

Going to prison is a easy solution for missing food and shelter. Don't think that there lies the problem.

Re: 'We had to get out of the way': The backlash over delivery robots

#57

Post by krater23 »

rcxdude wrote: post #36
devin-2030 wrote: post #23

The argument of proponents used to be that it removes a lot of large vehicles off the street for small local deliveries… yes and onto the sidewalk. Makes no sense.

The density can go up quite a bit when you don't have a car needing to haul itself around.

Why car? In our city the delivery guys are using tuned e-bikes.

Re: 'We had to get out of the way': The backlash over delivery robots

#58

Post by bluefirebrand »

solid_fuel wrote: post #32
colechristensen wrote: post #26

Earlier quoted context omitted.

This would seem like an easy ADA case.

I'm not aware of someone filing such a case yet, but I would think so too. I'm not sure if you would sue the city or the robot company, or both? It feels like a failure on the part of both.

It's not the city's responsibility to make the sidewalks delivery robot friendly, it's 100% a failure on the part of the robot company

Re: 'We had to get out of the way': The backlash over delivery robots

#59

Post by solid_fuel »

bluefirebrand wrote: post #58
solid_fuel wrote: post #32

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I'm not aware of someone filing such a case yet, but I would think so too. I'm not sure if you would sue the city or the robot company, or both? It feels like a failure on the part of both.

It's not the city's responsibility to make the sidewalks delivery robot friendly, it's 100% a failure on the part of the robot company

> It's not the city's responsibility to make the sidewalks delivery robot friendly, it's 100% a failure on the part of the robot company

I don't expect them to make the sidewalks robot friendly, but I think they are responsible for keeping the sidewalks clear of obstructions - so if the robots are obstructing people in my view the city should remove them and fine the company.

Failing to do that would be a failure to maintain the sidewalk space, at least that's my thinking.

Re: 'We had to get out of the way': The backlash over delivery robots

#60

Post by lovich »

Grombobulous wrote: post #24
exmadscientist wrote: post #20

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Robots that cannot share sidewalks with humans, including humans in wheelchairs, should be banned from sidewalks. Full stop. End of discussion. They can use the streets proper if they want to. I'm sure there is some way to formalize that using ADA sidewalk requirements or something similar.

I really don’t understand how a four wheeled self-driving powered vehicle is allowed to drive on the sidewalk when riding a bicycle on the sidewalk in that same city is illegal.

Because corporations have more rights than the common man and these robots are the property of corporations.

If you as a regular person cause some sort of damage to a corporation you’ll be arrested and locked up while they determine the legality and if there was an actual illegal damage. If these corporations cause regular people problems then it’s “oopsies, you can sue us in court with your far smaller resources in a system that is heavily incentivized for those with more resources” and no equivalent corporate entity is getting the equivalent of cash bail.

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