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Prompted by complaints by its drivers, Canada Post has begun a
rural mail delivery safety review.
Mario Circelli, communications officer, was at Kincardine council
Wednesday night (Oct. 7), explaining the program which involves
assessing the location of every rural mailbox in Canada - all
843,000 of them.
He said the Crown corporation has received 2,500 safety complaints
from its drivers since 2005. There have been 117 accidents involving
rural mail drivers and three drivers have been killed - two from
Ontario and one from Quebec. "We're seeing an increase in traffic
and faster traffic," said Circelli. "These quiet country roads are
not so quiet anymore."
He said the shoulders of the roads are often narrow or non-existent
so the drivers can't get off the road. There are also insufficient
sight lines and sight distances.
"We have a legal obligation to do this," he said. "The company has
hired experts in traffic issues who will assess each mailbox based
on safety criteria. Canada Post is trying to maintain local mail
delivery but some customers will have to change how their mail is
received."
For example, if the customer's mailbox cannot meet the safety
criteria, he could end up with a post office box, compliments of
Canada Post, along with a six-month supply of change-of-address
notices; or the mailbox could be grouped with a cluster of rural
mailboxes; or he may have to resort to a community mailbox. If a
mailbox has to be moved, the cost is borne by the customer.
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Right now, the company is conducting an extensive community
outreach program, said Circelli, talking to municipal
leaders, and speaking with each customer whose mailbox fails
the safety test. "We have a dedicated public line at
1-866-501-1669, and we have a website at www.canadapost.ca/ruralmail.
Assessors will make three attempts to reach the customers
face-to-face to talk about changing their mail delivery."
Deputy mayor Laura Haight asked what happens on a mail route
where, for example, only one of the nine mailboxes passes
the safety test.
"If eight of them did not meet the criteria, we would move
those to a cluster of mailboxes," said Circelli. "I can't
imagine the driver is going to go all the way out there for
one mailbox," said Haight.
"Your cynicism is misplaced," said Circelli. "A mail route
has 50 to 100 points of call. If eight mailboxes don't work,
he'll still go out for the one that works."
He said there are several ways to make a mailbox safer for
the driver, such as moving it further back off the road or
moving it down the road to improve the sight lines.
"I hope you consider safety and service," said Haight,
"rather than forcing people to travel a great distance to
get their mail."
Circelli said that of the mailboxes already checked, 88 per
cent meet the criteria. "Canada Post is committed to rural
mail delivery."
The results of the safety assessment will be made available
to council.
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