England Considers Legalising Autonomous Delivery Robots on Pavements Amid Safety Concerns

Ministers have indicated they will amend the 1835 Highways Act to allow low-speed autonomous delivery robots on footways, treating them as micromobility devices pending a public consultation and parliamentary approval.

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The current law bans “carriages” from pavements, leaving robots in a grey area; the amendment would reclassify them alongside e-scooters.

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Robots currently operate in a regulatory grey area, similar to e-scooters, and have been trialled in several English towns without explicit legal authority.

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Starship Technologies, a San Francisco firm founded by two Skype co-founders, runs six-wheeled robots in six English towns. Living Streets, a pedestrian-safety charity, has written to Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander. The Department for Transport (DfT) is overseeing the review.

The Guardian

Starship aims to deploy over 10,000 robots nationwide and has pledged a UK manufacturing site if the law is clarified.

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Advocates warn robots could add footway congestion and create navigation hazards for wheelchair users, blind pedestrians and guide-dog users, already challenged by obstacles.

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The DfT said safety remains its priority. A government spokesperson noted innovation can boost the economy but pedestrian safety must come first. Starship claims to “own” robot delivery in the European urban market and plans UK production.

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Living Streets launched the “Pavement Overload” campaign, warning that unauthorised robots threaten wheelchair users without dropped curbs and blind pedestrians with guide dogs, and urging safety to be a baseline requirement.

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• “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.” — Living Streets, campaign statement

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• “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,” — Catherine Woodhead, Chief Executive, Living Streets

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• “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,” — Living Streets, letter to Transport Secretary

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• “A government spokesperson said: “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.” — Government spokesperson

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Sources provide no independent safety data or accident statistics, and the legal status of current trials remains unclear.

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The DfT will launch a public consultation; any amendment will be introduced when parliamentary time permits.

The Guardian