The Wrong Problem With Pickup and Drop-Off Points for Robotaxis

A hotly contested part of a city are the spaces at the curb of the sidewalk. Where cars are usually parked, bus stops or drop-off and pick-up zones for cabs also need to be made available. And since the pandemic, restaurant patios have also been placed there in the USA, as they were already common in many European cities, either seasonally or year-round.

With electric cars came the question of charging spaces, which in turn are exclusively permitted for use by electric cars when charging. Disabled parking spaces or those for special vehicle owners, such as diplomatic missions or authorities, also vied for their right, as did cycle paths, which are thankfully becoming more extensive in many cities.

With the increase in private car ownership, the battle for this rare piece of public urban property has been a matter of public concern for decades. As a result, many cities and regions have introduced strict regulations to tackle the issue. For example, parking offenders, whether in a double lane, not paying the parking fee or parking in the wrong space, are finedy by the city’s law enforcement officers. There are also precise regulations on where cabs or private vehicles may pickup or drop off passengers and how far from the curb the car may be parked.

Robotaxis are another type of vehicle that requires pickup and drop off zones for passengers. And the authorities strictly demand that autonomous cars also comply with the regulations and laws. In San Francisco, for example, it is stipulated that a car may not be more than 18 inches (approximately 46 centimeters) away from the curb when parked or entering and exiting. This is to ensure that such a vehicle does not obstruct the flow of traffic. Of course, it is only allowed to do this in places where it is legal, i.e. not at bus stops, disabled parking spaces or loading zones, or on bike paths.

This can lead to the paradoxical situation that a robotaxi only finds such a pick-up or drop-off point one street further on and you have to chase the vehicle. Not an easy thing to do if you’re loaded down with bags or a baby carriage, or if you’re handicapped.

The Real Problem

The problem is being approached from the wrong side. It is not robotaxis (or even cabs) that should be regulated, but rather the actual causes of the problem that should be tackled. These are, on the one hand, the excessive private car ownership in a city and, on the other, the far too low parking fees in street parking lots, a public good. In San Francisco (and many other cities), for example, many parking spaces are free, often for a certain period of time, and others can be used for relatively low parking fees. In San Francisco, an hour in some streets currently costs up to a maximum of seven dollars, although residents can often park for free for a small monthly or annual fee. Parking garages also charge a few hundred dollars per month for fixed parking, which is far below the usual local rents for the space required (in 2024 in San Francisco, for example, this will be 3,500 dollars per month for a one-bedroom apartment).

This problem was already described by the American university professor of urban planning, Donald Shoup, in his 2005 book The High Cost of Free Parking. Low parking fees in street parking lots lead to even more people driving cars into the city or buying a car. And that leads to even more demand for parking spaces and behavior that encourages parking violations and calls for more regulation.

First Principle

Robotaxi regulators should go back to the first principle. Why are there so few entry and exit points on sidewalks? Because many private vehicles park on them. Who owns the sidewalk edges and parking spaces? The city and therefore the public. Who regulates them? The city. How can you create more pickup and drop off zones for robotaxis? By freeing up parking spaces or making them more expensive and reducing private car ownership in the city, such as through higher charges, more public transport services and access to robotaxis.

All those who are now calling for more regulation on entry and exit zones for robotaxis should first do some soul-searching and find out why cities are giving cars so much space and how the balance can be shifted in favor of shared traffic systems. Robotaxis should not be the first to beregulated, but private cars that take up too much public parking space.

This article was also published in German.