Residents on Young Street/Highway 89 were notified last Friday that as of Sept. 1 they will no longer have mail delivered to the end of their driveways.
Canada Post reassessed the route after safety complaints from the mail carrier and has decided to cancel the service because it is too dangerous to deliver the mail at the side of the road, said Scott Lewis from Canada Post.
Instead, residents will have to pick their mail up at a multi-compartment super mailbox in the Sobeys' parking lot.
"We have received more than 2,000 complaints from our delivery people (nationally)," said Lewis. "We've had more than 80 accidents across the country. We've placed safety as a priority."
For 71-year-old Mervyn Kerr, Canada Post's plan is creating a bigger safety threat than it is solving. He said many of the residents along that stretch of road are seniors and not all can drive. The new location will mean those along the north side of the street will have to cross four lanes of traffic on Highway 89 to get their mail. Kerr isn't convinced of the validity of the assessment.
"There are no nearby hills or bends in the road," he said.
As for the traffic volume, which is Canada Post's main concern, he said it affects the residents equally.
"The volume of traffic is there to block us from crossing roads."
Kerr also said the shoulder of the highway is wide enough to comfortably fit a vehicle.
Debbie Gauley lives down the street from Kerr. She rarely drives after being involved in a bad car accident a few years ago and said the only way she could get the mail from the new location is if her husband drives to pick it up, or she walks.
She is also concerned about the seniors that live along the street, including a woman who travels with a scooter. With the high volume of traffic along the highway, she is worried what could happen if people are forced to walk. She doesn't think the traffic light at Young Street and Industrial Parkway is safe enough for pedestrians.
"I don't want to see that. It's a recipe for disaster," she said. "That light is a joke. You have a lot of very energetic drivers, shall we say. The light is there, but cars will pull out in front of it, they forget that there are pedestrians there."
Canada Post employees met with a group of residents Wednesday. Residents invited the press to join them, but the Canada Post representatives said they would change the content of the meeting if media was present.
After the meeting, Kerr said not much had changed. Canada Post had proposed a different location, on the north side of the road.
Lewis said Canada Post would not be reinstating delivery to the end of the driveway. He said once the traffic review is conducted, it can't be rescinded. In other instances, Human Resources and Social Development Canada has ordered Canada Post to improve its work conditions.
He said the move is not a cost-cutting measure, because postal carriers are paid on a per-customer basis, not per stop.
E-mail reporter Kurtis Elsner at kelsner@simcoe.com.
