Delivery robots have been appearing more frequently of late on some of Chicago’s sidewalks in Lakeview and elsewhere, bringing hungry folks their tacos, chicken tenders or smashburgers as they trundle along. They’re kind of charming in their insulated way, with their fake eyes and novel names.

One, presumably ennui-driven, robot goes by “Chekhov,” and we have entertained ourselves watching his siblings try to navigate Chicago’s intersections. It takes them forever to deem it safe to cross the street. No fools, these robots.

Some of them have been meandering past aldermanic offices, always a dangerous thing to do, lest an alderman with control issues pop out the door, flag down a reporter and declare the need for a new ordinance. Unsurprisingly, such chatter has begun, fueled by a few NOMS (Not On My Sidewalks) types worrying either that this is some kind of epic corporate takeover of the public right of way, or that they or their pooch will get pushed out of the way.

We don’t see any such problem or need; the ever-yielding, safety-conscious robots are quite courteous, and we know at least one dog that has begun a healthy relationship with one (in fairness, we also have seen the opposite). The moving carts have operated just fine in other cities, including in the Westwood neighborhood of Los Angeles, where they are lucky even to find a sidewalk.

Those among the ranks of the NOMS should remember that the robots mean that a delivery vehicle (possibly more than one) is being removed from our crowded roads and that there is an inherent, environmentally friendly efficiency in a very small vehicle delivering a big, juicy sandwich rather than a great honking SUV.

Better yet, the robots are a weapon against the scourge of double-parking, yet more pernicious when it snows. Ald. Daniel La Spata, 1st, wants an ordinance letting Chicagoans snitch on delivery vehicles blocking the public way, another proposed new law for which we see no need, given that people already can call 311 if they wish and that those opposed to the FedEx truck blocking their way tend to drop their opposition when FedEx is coming to their door. La Spata hardly is known for caring much about the ability of local businesses to get stuff delivered, but we think he and his ilk should be in favor of the little robots.

We’ll be happy to revisit this topic if we get to the point where there are so many of these robots that humans can’t walk down the street, but that is hardly the case at present. Many of our sidewalks need the action. Chicago already has a reputation as a Luddite city, and this is not a battle any alderman should waste time fighting. The delivery robots are fun and friendly; let ’em be and get back to work on the budget. We don’t need another solution to a nonexistent problem.

From our observations, though, these robots are not big fans of snow. Indeed, we’ve not seen them come out as much since the white stuff fell in large quantities. Shame. They could have little plows attached and take on the new problem of plowing protected bike lanes and deliver a chicken sandwich at the same time. That’s unlikely to happen, alas. No doubt Chekhov is sitting in a warm warehouse somewhere, dreaming dreams of a Moscow summer.

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https://www.chicagotribune.com/2025/12/11/editorial-chill-out-aldermen-the-delivery-robots-are-cute/