Community Corner
Still No Mail? Delivery Delays Continue in Troy
Troy residents say they haven't received mail from the U.S. Postal Service since Saturday.
U.S. Postal Service letter carriers have been heading out every day despite the severe cold and negative wind-chills.
However, Troy residents are saying their mail is not getting delivered. Troy Patch readers inquired about the delays on Troy Patch's Facebook page.
"We haven't had mail 3 days in a row. Our street has been clear since Monday. ... Guess the mail can't go through in rain, sleet or snow," Carolyn Muckenhirn wrote.
The recent winter storm and severe cold left piles of snow and layers of ice on Troy streets. Kristen Amaro Forster said she has not received her mail since Saturday.
"Anyone else not get mail 3rd day in a row? Monday, fine but the roads and sidewalks have been clear since midnight Monday. Ridiculous," she wrote.
Ed Moore, U.S. Postal Service spokesperson for metro Detroit, said that is the problem. He said letter carriers have not stopped their deliveries but uncleared or icy paths to mailboxes are inhibiting them.
"They're carrying an extra 50 pound bag on their shoulders and trying to balance that while holding mail in their hands," he said.
Moore said carriers don't want to bring the mail back because that adds to their deliveries for the next day. However, if there is no improvement to the conditions, delivery delays will continue. Curbside delivery is also getting delayed. Carriers doing curbside delivery are not supposed to step out of their vehicle to deliver the mail, he said. If windrows are blocking access to the mailbox, carriers will take the mail back to the post office.
"The safety of the letter carrier is the most important thing," he said. "They are not to risk injury."
It can only get better if people shovel their snow
The solution to the delivery delays? Grab a shovel, Moore said."I would even encourage our customers to be neighborly," he said. "If you have an elderly neighbor or know someone who is disabled, shovel a path to their mail."
It's a community effort, he said, because sometimes a homeowner will properly clear a path but mail will still be delayed if the rest of the street is impassable.
"We recognize that customers want their mail and need their mail and we want to provide that service to them," he said.
For those expecting an important delivery in the mail, they'll have to be patient. Moore said there is no system for people to come to the post office in search of their mail unless they have a post-office box.
What is the mail situation like near you? Post a comment below.
Patch local editor Aysha Jamali contributed to this report.
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