No More Door-To-Door

From the Times Union:
"No more mail at your door? Delivery changes eyed"

Door-to-door mail delivery is about as American as apple pie. With the Postal Service facing billions of dollars in annual losses, that tradition could be virtually phased out by 2022 under a proposal in Congress. The House Oversight and Government Reform Committee on Wednesday approved a plan to move to cluster box and curbside delivery, which includes mailboxes at the end of driveways.

The proposal is part of broader legislation by Rep. Darrell Issa, R-Calif., chairman of the oversight and government reform panel, designed to cut costs at the cash-strapped agency by up to $4.5 billion a year. The Postal Service had a $16 billion loss last year. The bill was approved on a party-line vote, with 22 Republicans supporting it and 17 Democrats opposing it. Postal Service spokesman David Partenheimer said the agency would evaluate Issa's bill based on whether it would enable the agency to make $20 billion in savings by 2017. The agency has been moving toward curbside and cluster box delivery in new residential developments since the 1970s. The Postal Service in April began deciding whether to provide such delivery for people moving into newly built homes rather than letting the developers decide. About 1 in 3 mail customers has door-to-door delivery, Issa said. The shift would include safe and secure cluster box delivery areas, he said, especially for elderly customers who receive Social Security checks and prescriptions through the mail. About 30 million residential addresses receive delivery to boxes at the door or a mail slot. Another 87 million residential addresses receive curbside or cluster box delivery. The cost differences are clear. Curbside delivery costs average $224 per year for each address, while cluster box delivery averages $160. Door-to-door delivery costs the agency about $350 per year, on average.

 

^ This is one of the few changes I wouldn't mind the USPS making. I used to get mail delivered right to my driveway, but for over 4 years now I have had to drive a mile (down my mountain) to a bunch of mailboxes. After having to complain to the USPS that they were leaving my boxes on top of my mailbox - where anyone could take them or where it could get ruined by the rain or snow - there hasn't been much of a problem related to the box itself (only the carrier.) Of course it is not fun to drive down the mountain in ice, snow or mud and then find out the carrier hasn't come yet so you have to do it all over again, but for the majority of people (living in cities and towns) it would mean walking down the street for their mail. ^

 

http://www.timesunion.com/news/politics/article/Changes-eyed-in-door-to-door-mail-delivery-4683536.php