Bicycle Austin forum

MichaelBluejay

Webmaster

From: Austin, TX

Registered: 2008-05-26

Posts: 1,455

Website

Delivery robots to use the bicycle lanes

https://austin.eater.com/2021/6/14/2253 … ying-pizza

Jack

Member

Registered: 2013-03-27

Posts: 344

Re: Delivery robots to use the bicycle lanes

Maybe monied business interests will get us better data on "protected" lanes and such. 

OTOH, since so much of "bike safety" is "get the bicyclists out of the way of cars," maybe we should expect "how can we get the bicyclists out of the way of the pizza delivery robots?" to be the next burning question.

RedFalcon

Member

Registered: 2013-10-10

Posts: 233

Re: Delivery robots to use the bicycle lanes

The images of an expensive robot going along the bike lane being followed by a guy on a scooter (using up batteries) is just too much. The amount of resources poured into that Musk level stupidity is staggering.

You know, we could have just paid someone, who needed the money, to ride a regular bike towing a $30 craigslist kid trailer.

Technology is NOT going to save the planet. Making better choices about resources might. Maybe.

MichaelBluejay

Webmaster

From: Austin, TX

Registered: 2008-05-26

Posts: 1,455

Website

Re: Delivery robots to use the bicycle lanes

Well, as far as energy resources, scooters and robots use less energy than walking or biking, when we consider the energy that goes into producing the fuel for the bicyclist.

Humans are pretty inefficient at turning food into energy, and that's compounded by the meat-heavy Western diet that requires way more energy to produce than plant-based foods.

RedFalcon

Member

Registered: 2013-10-10

Posts: 233

Re: Delivery robots to use the bicycle lanes

It's always interesting to think about how the energy gets used.  One could also argue that the people who built the robots could have been using that energy better by just delivering pizzas themselves.  I guess my main point is that stuff like electric cars have a cost associated with them, but I often hear people talk about them as if they are magically green.

I work with an insufferable woman who brags about her electric car that she drives 2 miles to work and plugs into the outlet in the parking lot. The one that gets electricity from coal.

Also, the 'Love to Ride' site where you can track how much carbon you are keeping out of the atmosphere by riding your bike. So, I used to bike commute 12 miles round trip to work four days a week. That is 48 miles, and I so work my way towards a gold star in gamification world. I don't own a car at all and ride, walk, or take the bus. Meanwhile, a coworker lives in Buda and commutes in his F150 to Round Rock 5 days a week. On the weekend he does a 50 mile charity ride and enters that into the game. He's ahead now.  Of course I don't care about the silly game, I'm just pointing out it doesn't always make sense.

Say, years ago I heard about a delivery cyclist who tried to write off his meals as a business expense. It makes sense, but the IRS didn't buy it.

dougmc

Administrator

Registered: 2008-06-01

Posts: 623

Re: Delivery robots to use the bicycle lanes

Say, years ago I heard about a delivery cyclist who tried to write off his meals as a business expense. It makes sense, but the IRS didn't buy it.

Sounds fair to me, as long as it's the *extra* meals incurred by his cycling.  Fuel is fuel, and it sounds like a legitimate business expense to me.

Meals are already deducted often -- granted, for entertaining -- so this wouldn't even be a new thing.

Either that or change the rules to permit him the 56 cents per mile that the IRS allows for automobile usage.  (Alas, it does explicitly say car. van, pickups or panel trucks, so the rules would have to be changed.)

Getting back to the delivery robots. here's another article on it, with a title that's full of win : The Delivery Robots Are Your Friends, Says Delivery-Robot Company

MichaelBluejay

Webmaster

From: Austin, TX

Registered: 2008-05-26

Posts: 1,455

Website

Re: Delivery robots to use the bicycle lanes

I agree, the food for the extra calories should be deductible.

When I worked at Apple, they sent me on a business trip, and would have paid for me to rent a car for the week, but instead I borrowed a bicycle, and bought a basket/rack at the bike shop to put my briefcase in.  I submitted a travel expense reimbursement request for the basket/rack, but Accounting denied it, even though the cost was far less than Apple would have paid for me to rent a car.  (My manager went to bat for me and I got my reimbursement.)