San Jose DOT hosts public webinar on proposed delivery-robot pilot and regulations

The City of San Jose Department of Transportation hosted a public webinar to gather community input on draft administrative regulations and a planned one-year pilot to allow sidewalk- and bikeway-operating delivery robots.

Ramses Madhu, division manager for planning policy and sustainability at San Jose DOT, told attendees the city is working from provisional agreements already in place with operators and that staff were seeking public feedback to shape a permit program. "We do have some operators in the city under a provisional agreement, that allows us to learn from the experience of the public," Madhu said. City staff said permits would be time-limited and the director could revoke or suspend permits if operations caused safety issues.

Laura Staczynski, the department's Emerging Mobility program lead, described three common device types in use locally and their operating envelopes, including smaller sidewalk bots and larger devices that may operate on bikeways. She listed proposed permit requirements: a one-year pilot permit, unique device identifiers and contact information on each unit, lights visible from all directions, and requirements to obey traffic laws. Staczynski said the city would monitor operations during the pilot and bring a recommendation to council in mid-September.

The webinar ran largely as Q&A after the presentation, with hundreds of attendee questions. Staff said the city would continue outreach with neighborhood groups, business associations, advocacy organizations and disability-community stakeholders before finalizing recommendations to council.