Ministers are likely to support a change in the law that would allow large numbers of autonomous delivery robots to operate on pavements across England, prompting concern from safety campaigners. The decision follows a consultation on micromobility vehicles, including e-scooters, and could see US firm Starship Technologies deploy at least 10,000 robots in the UK.
Current legal grey area
Low-speed delivery robots, which mainly transport groceries or takeaway food, are already in use in several English towns and cities, including Cambridge, Bristol, Milton Keynes, Sheffield, Leeds and Barnsley. However, they operate in a regulatory grey area because the 1835 Highways Act bans “carriages” from pavements. The government plans to resolve this by categorising delivery robots alongside e-scooters under new micromobility laws.
The Department for Transport (DfT), which is leading the changes, said it was focused on safety. A government spokesperson stated: “We welcome innovation and advances in technology have the potential to boost our economy, but it’s vital the safety of pedestrians and vulnerable road users is put first. We will update the law for delivery robots as soon as parliamentary time allows and following public consultation.”
Safety campaigners raise alarms
Campaign groups argue that the robots, which are programmed only to use pavements, would make already crowded footways even more congested, posing particular risks for older people, blind or partially sighted individuals, and those using mobility aids. The pedestrian safety charity Living Streets has written to Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander urging caution and launched a campaign called Pavement Overload to highlight the issue.
In a letter, Living Streets said widespread use of delivery robots was likely to create a hazard when they encounter a pedestrian with insufficient space to pass. “This is especially dangerous when they may be a wheelchair user with no dropped kerb nearby or a blind person with a guide dog trained not to take them onto the road,” the letter stated. “Delivery robots add to existing pavement congestion, present navigation hazards that are not reliably detectable by white cane or guide dog, and occupy space that accessible design and decades of campaigning have worked hard to protect.”
The charity also released a video showing robots bumping into pedestrians or forcing them out of the way. Catherine Woodhead, chief executive of Living Streets, said: “We believe that pavements are for people, and the operation of robots puts the safety of pedestrians at risk, particularly for those with mobility issues. Our pavements are already lousy with dangerous obstacles, from pavement parking to wheelie bins, preventing many disabled people from leaving their homes.”
Starship Technologies' expansion plans
Starship Technologies, based in San Francisco and founded by two co-founders of Skype, hopes to flood the English market with more than 10,000 robots. The company has promised to set up a manufacturing site in the UK if the government clarifies the law. Last year, Starship said it “owns” robot delivery in the European urban market and, with new funding, aimed to expand hugely in the UK.
The charity also highlighted that in Sheffield, one Starship Technologies hub was installed at a scout hut without the council or local people being informed, raising concerns about transparency. Living Streets is demanding that any consultation on changing the law be “designed with pedestrian safety and accessibility as baseline requirements, not as afterthoughts.”
