Canada Post said it started the national review process in response to health and safety complaints from drivers, and said there have been about 2,700 complaints.
Since 2005 there have been over 120 traffic accidents and three fatalities. In July, 2007, a national priority list was established and there are 843,000 mailboxes that need to be reviewed across Canada, said Canada Post communications officer Tinna Bonner.
“It will take a few years to complete. To date just over 350,000 have been assessed and 85 per cent were maintained nationally,” Bonner said.
Canada Post is obligated to conduct assessments where a driver has raised concerns and are obligated to do so under both the labour code and the Criminal Code.
The review’s key parameters include volume and speed of traffic, shoulder width, centre line marking, number of lanes, speed of traffic, legal restrictions and driver behaviour, Bonner said. Some additional concerns are limited sightlines and the location of mailboxes.
“This review is not a cost-cutting measure. The objective is to maintain rural delivery where possible,” she said.
Once the review is done on a mailbox, a box can pass or can be deferred, meaning there will be no change and box owners will be notified in writing.
If a mailbox fails the review, customers may have the option to relocate the box or have a community mailbox site or free post office box. Canada Post will also meet individually with customers.
She noted customers cannot self assess their mailboxes as the traffic safety assessment standard set of criteria was applied by certified assessors. She also does not recommend customers making changes to their mailbox unless Canada Post requires it.
Warden Jim Thurber noted a problem he has with the timing of the assessment. For example, every hour the traffic volume on the Islands is bumper to bumper when the ferry unloads and he asked if situations like that are taken into account.
Coordinator Terry McDonald said the model prohibits taking traffic count when something like that happens.
Thurber also asked them to provide a list of communities included under the two rural routes at the time of review.
ldelong@digbycourier.ca
