By: Alice Clark
Automated Micro-Mobility Utility Devices (MUDs), also known as delivery robots, are popping up in cities across North America, particularly in the United States.
In 2021, these delivery robots became a fixture in some downtown Toronto neighbourhoods. Toronto-based company Tiny Mile deployed a fleet of bright pink delivery robots to courier goods to consumers. Like e-scooters, delivery robots can be hazardous to vulnerable road users and pedestrians on already crowded public sidewalks.
In the fall of 2020, Ontario’s Ministry of Transportation proposed a 10-year pilot project that seeks to regulate delivery robots by mandating maximum speeds, safety features, and paths of travel. In response to this proposed pilot project, CNIB provided recommendations to the Ministry of Transportation that accessibility must be a key consideration in the deployment of delivery robots over the lifespan of the pilot project. CNIB strongly opposed allowing delivery robots to share public sidewalks with pedestrians.
In December 2021, Toronto City Council banned delivery robots, citing safety concerns. In February 2022, the City of Ottawa also passed a ban on delivery robots, citing safety concerns and a lack of provincial regulations. The Ontario plan is still in development with no confirmed launch date.