Lifetime Citizen Portal Access — AI Briefings, Alerts & Unlimited Follows
Glendale council orders staff to prepare moratorium, rules for sidewalk delivery robots
Loading...
Summary
After council members raised safety, ADA and liability concerns about unregulated delivery robots operating on sidewalks, the council directed staff to draft a moratorium and return with options including pilot programs, licensing, and enforcement details.
The Glendale City Council on March 31 directed staff to prepare a moratorium and policy options for personal delivery devices (PDDs) operating in the public right of way, after an extended debate over safety, accessibility and municipal authority.
Council members described a range of concerns: potential obstruction of ADA ramps, unknown ownership and insurance, devices getting stuck and blocking intersections, and whether the city had been notified before operators began running machines on Glendale sidewalks. "I don't believe they are a Glendale based company. They just appeared," Council member Kasakian said during the discussion, urging staff to draft findings to justify a temporary halt while the city studies the businesses and best practices from other cities.
Other council members voiced caution about an outright stop. Several said the devices could reduce vehicle trips and help local restaurants if properly regulated, and suggested a pilot program or licensing as possible responses. Council member Brotman suggested exploring fees or licensing to recapture value for the city, while warning against overburdensome rules for small restaurants.
City staff told the council the municipal code currently lacks a specific prohibition on the devices and that enforcement is limited to blocking/obstruction violations. The council adopted a motion directing staff to draft a moratorium, contact operators to collect information (number of devices, ownership, insurance), and return as quickly as possible with options that may include a pilot program, licensing, operational hours, staging zones and safety requirements.
The motion asks staff to study what peer cities are doing (San Francisco, Seattle, Los Angeles, Portland among examples) and to propose enforceable rules that protect pedestrian access while allowing potential benefits. The directive passed on a recorded vote and staff said it will return with findings and recommended next steps.
Next steps: staff will contact identified operators, collect data on participating businesses and devices, review liability and ADA implications, and propose either an emergency moratorium ordinance or a regulatory approach and pilot program for council consideration.
