I don't have a problem with autonomous delivery vehicles. We do have a place for vehicles with wheels though. If they aren't safe enough to be on roads, they just aren't ready. Same as a person intentionally blocking my way though, they often end up on their ass when they use the sidewalk.
'We had to get out of the way': The backlash over delivery robots
81–90 of 98 posts
Re: 'We had to get out of the way': The backlash over delivery robots
#82I 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…
> 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 curb or anything to get around them. I would keep on rolling into the robot. Sometimes the provider needs some production incidents to get motivated into fixing a bug.
Or to understand that public sentiment makes their stupid business venture wholly unviable, economically. That happens when people break your shit. We didn't get traction on scooters and e-bikes until they started landing in ponds and off overpasses. Your politicians want new business. They won't help. You have to fight the businesses directly.
Re: 'We had to get out of the way': The backlash over delivery robots
#83I 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.
Don't pussyfoot around it. Break the fuckin' thing. Let the owner know this is absolutely fucking unacceptable. A person would get the shit kicked out of them for that kind of behavior.
Re: 'We had to get out of the way': The backlash over delivery robots
#84Earlier quoted context omitted.
> Which raises the question: why should these robots be prioritized over humans? Why can't they use the streets when there are pedestrians? Why should the SAFETY OF HUMANS be compromised for these profit-seeking corporations and their robots? That's a good start, now ask some of the same questions about cars vs pedestrians. Ultimately, big money will win as it always does. Get used to dodging robots.
Good point. Just look up the invention of Jay-walking. It was a marketing campaign that called people "jays" (bozo, basically) for walking "improperly" in the streets when that used to be what everyone did. Eventually, cities came up with penalties for j-walking.
And then started using it as pretense for harrassing minorities. In California, they recently made it so they have to prove you caused or nearly caused an accident for it to be a crime.
Re: 'We had to get out of the way': The backlash over delivery robots
#85Earlier quoted context omitted.
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.
The vast majority of Americans prefer roads being dedicated to vehicles. I live in a town that is stealing drivable roadway for bike lanes. It's a total wast of tax dollars. There is never anybody in this bike lanes. Because even in this flaming blue, bike friendly city, people drive because it's just better.
Often it feels unsafe to bike on roadways, so people just avoid doing so. And most bike lanes on roadways have trash in them and are basically a glorified shoulder.
Re: 'We had to get out of the way': The backlash over delivery robots
#86Earlier quoted context omitted.
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.
The vast majority of Americans prefer roads being dedicated to vehicles. I live in a town that is stealing drivable roadway for bike lanes. It's a total wast of tax dollars. There is never anybody in this bike lanes. Because even in this flaming blue, bike friendly city, people drive because it's just better.
"Stealing" as in having a public process for proposed street designs that you can't be bothered to attend.
"There is never anybody in this bike lanes" you don't see them because they aren't stuck in traffic like you. Also the city has to build out a full network of high quality bike facilities to convince a bunch of skeptics and scaredy cats to get out of their cars and enjoy life and actually get somewhere instead of just be traffic all the time.
Re: 'We had to get out of the way': The backlash over delivery robots
#87Earlier quoted context omitted.
There is cycling infrastructure, the cyclists just choose to use pedestrian sidewalks. If cyclists infringing on pedestrian pathways isn't enforced, why should robots infringing on pedestrian pathways be enforced?
Is there actual cycling infrastructure, or is it just a painted line on car infrastructure done in a way that only a suicidal person would use it? My country has great cycling infrastructure. I never see bikes on the sidewalk. There is a direct link between the two.
It doesn't really matter in this case. Even if we assume the lack of cycling infrastructure justifies cyclists taking over pedestrian paths, that must mean robots are also justified in taking over pedestrian paths since there is no dedicated infrastructure for robots.
Re: 'We had to get out of the way': The backlash over delivery robots
#88Earlier quoted context omitted.
Is there actual cycling infrastructure, or is it just a painted line on car infrastructure done in a way that only a suicidal person would use it? My country has great cycling infrastructure. I never see bikes on the sidewalk. There is a direct link between the two.
It doesn't really matter in this case. Even if we assume the lack of cycling infrastructure justifies cyclists taking over pedestrian paths, that must mean robots are also justified in taking over pedestrian paths since there is no dedicated infrastructure for robots.
No it doesn’t. Laws and regulations aren’t equations and don’t need to be perfectly balanced. There is no QED here with your reasoning.
Re: 'We had to get out of the way': The backlash over delivery robots
#89Earlier quoted context omitted.
The vast majority of Americans prefer roads being dedicated to vehicles. I live in a town that is stealing drivable roadway for bike lanes. It's a total wast of tax dollars. There is never anybody in this bike lanes. Because even in this flaming blue, bike friendly city, people drive because it's just better.
"Stealing" as in having a public process for proposed street designs that you can't be bothered to attend. "There is never anybody in this bike lanes" you don't see them because they aren't stuck in traffic like you. Also the city has to build out a full network of high quality bike facilities to convince a bunch of skeptics and scaredy cats to get out of their cars and enjoy life and actually get somewhere instead o…
There's this weird "bicyclist viewpoint" where the only acknowledged possible purpose of leaving your house appears to be to get your body to a different point within a relatively small area.
Personally, if I go anywhere at all, I'm usually moving more cargo than I could move on a bicycle, and doing that is the whole purpose of the trip. Cargo or no, it's often to a place I could not practically reach on a bicycle. And when neither is true, I can usually walk. The number of trips where I could use a bicycle is not large enough to make it worth maintaining one, and that wouldn't change no matter how good the infrastructure got.
Also, for a good chunk of the year, it's icy enough here that basically nobody rides bicycles... and in the rest of the year, it's not uncommon to get unpredictable thunderstorms. Sorry, riding in that is not "enjoying life".
By the way, the economy that feeds you and maintains your bicycle also depends on motorized road vehicles and the infrastructure to support them. The converse is not true; you and your bike could go away and nobody else would notice.
Seriously, they're very, very limited, niche vehicles. If your life fits into that narrow niche, then good for you... but the rest of us are sick of hearing from you.
Re: 'We had to get out of the way': The backlash over delivery robots
#90Earlier quoted context omitted.
...The robots aren't (by and large) just sitting there taking up space. They're not something you're going to be able to have a standard city street cleaning crew just pick up and toss in the bin when they go around in the early morning. They're actively scooting around, mostly from midmorning through early evening, because that's when people want to receive deliveries.
I thought it was obvious but to be extra clear "remove" in this case would mean fining the company and revoking their permits to operate in the city. Not... running around and herding robots into a truck or whatever.
I would take a contract with any city government to run around and deal with problem robots
I would love to be the worlds first Blade Runner