OLYMPIA – Autonomous delivery robots may be coming to a street near you thanks to a bill sponsored by Rep. Shelley Kloba, D-Kirkland. HB 1325 authorizes and regulates the use of personal delivery devices (PDDs). The bill has passed out of both the House of Representatives and Senate. If signed by the governor, these personal delivery devices will begin delivering packages and parcels across Washington cities.
“This bill can play a small part in traffic congestion in Washington while giving another convenient option for people to get the items they need delivered to their homes and businesses. I cannot wait to see the positive impact this makes for our communities,” said Kloba.
PDDs make deliveries within approximately one mile of their business of origin. By using sidewalks they can prevent the unnecessary use of full sized vehicles on the road – lowering air pollution and reducing traffic congestion on city streets.
These robots are designed to obey the rules that all pedestrians follow while using the sidewalks, including waiting at crosswalks and yielding to vehicular traffic. They also yield the right of way to foot traffic in front of them.
“It’s so wonderful to see innovative and creative solutions being embraced in our Legislature. This is how we continue in our journey to a brighter future for Washington,” said Kloba.