Menlo Park nears drone ban in parks
Menlo Park, home to social media giant Facebook, took a major step limiting the use of drones in the city on Tuesday, joining a rising number of locales that are banning the aircraft popular with hobbyists and businesses. All four city council members present at last night’s meeting approved a staff recommendation to add language to Menlo Park’s ordinance to ban the takeoff and landing of drones at the city’s 12 parks. The city began examining its rules for drones after a resident complained that people were flying drones too close to the walking paths at Bedwell-Bayfront Park, which is across a slough from Facebook and the city’s largest park. While Menlo Park’s ordinance bans motorized vehicles like remote-controlled cars or BMX bikes at city parks, it does not contain language prohibiting the flying of aircraft at the parks. Tech companies including Amazon and Google are examining the use of drones for delivering goods, and Facebook is working to launch drones to beam the Internet to parts of the world that lack adequate access.