Re: "Even posties have to drive on the right"

mararmeisto · Post by **mararmeisto** » Mon Feb 02, 2009 7:44 pm

A recent article in the upcoming issue of Macleans made me shake my head at how Canada Post is spending our tax dollars to provide ... well ... "service".

Anyway, it seems a few years back Canada Post spent 500-million dollars to figure out how to get its posties on the rural roads to stay on the right side of the road. It seems some of them would cross the line so they could deposit mail into the boxes without having to leave the comfort of their seat. And when one of them complained that Canada Post couldn't have them perform "dangerous work," it set off a study to determine how to 'fix' rural delivery. It seems the postie in question felt that parking on the right side of the road, getting out of the vehicle and crossing the road was somehow MORE dangerous than driving down the left-side of the road into on-coming traffic!

Anyway, I sent the following comments to Macleans:

I would have thought a more obvious answer to letting posties remain in the driver's seat and put mail into the mailbox on the side of a rural road was to have them drive on the right - the right-hand side of the vehicle, that is. I can remember a time when rural postal trucks were right-hand drive (RHD), and it seemed to make sense, all those years ago. Always wondered why Canada Post stopped using RHD vehicles.

Instead, this wastrel company spent half-a-billion of my tax dollars to figure out how to get drivers like Ms. Pollard to obey the rules of the road, or how to develop training for ergonomically-viable ways to reach across 1.5m of vehicle, out an open window, into the mailbox.

If Canada Post is wondering where it can get RHD vehicles, might I suggest: Ford, Chevrolet, and GM (yes, they all make RHD variants), or they could start importing RHD from one of the left-side-of-the-road driving countries (England or Japan or Australia to name a few). There currently many RHDs driving around on Canadian streets: one is the garbage truck for my street (and that driver is standing-up too); one is the sweeper truck that drives around my neighbourhood (actually its got two steering wheels, one on either side of the vehicle, as does the garbage truck); and the Saskatoon Bylaw Enforcement officers are driving around in imported RHD Mitsubishi Pajeros (reportedly purchased for driver's safety). Even the United States Postal Service uses RHD vehicles - maybe Canada Post could ask them where they got all those vehicles...

The federal government was asking why Canada Post doesn't purchase RHD vehicles: see the House of Commons debate for the 23 October 2006.

I wanted to write more, but if I had any hope of getting it published in the next issue, I had to keep it short.

Thoughts?

snelson · Post by **snelson** » Mon Feb 02, 2009 8:52 pm

Hmmm seems like an outrageous amount of money to spend on the obvious

However I'm pretty sure I've read somwhere that canada post is not funded by taxes!?!?.

Any truth to this - would love to know for sure.

sasquatch-hunter · Post by **sasquatch-hunter** » Mon Feb 02, 2009 9:24 pm

Canada Post has tons of RHDs. The rural potions, however, are sub-contracted out to rural routers. Rural routers use their own vehicles, using RHD is up to the individuals. Also Canada Post is a Crown Cooperation, which does not use tax money (major income comes from the friendly "junk" mail). The "Crown" means CPC has monopoly to anything has stamp on it.

mararmeisto · Post by **mararmeisto** » Mon Feb 02, 2009 10:03 pm

sasquatch-hunter wrote:Canada Post has tons of RHDs. The rural potions, however, are sub-contracted out to rural routers. Rural routers use their own vehicles, using RHD is up to the individuals. Also Canada Post is a Crown Cooperation, which does not use tax money (major income comes from the friendly "junk" mail). The "Crown" means CPC has monopoly to anything has stamp on it.

So Canada doesn't own Canada Post any more?

Well, still, I don't think there's something wrong with a company that spends half-a-billion dollars to figure out how to keep its drivers off the wrong side of the road.

delica 304 · Post by **delica 304** » Tue Feb 03, 2009 9:37 am

Electro-shock collars... It works for pet obedience

mararmeisto · Post by **mararmeisto** » Tue Feb 24, 2009 7:33 pm

An abridged form of my letter to Macleans was included in this week's issue.

I wonder what's to become of Canada Post's study...

pedro · Post by **pedro** » Tue Feb 24, 2009 8:11 pm

Canada post is still owned by the federal government and canada post also own 98% of purolater. But there actually no tax money coming from de fed! The stamps pay the bills and the "flyers"( now called "unadress admail"( what a load of BS!!!) is the gravy!!!!!! Now dont get me wrong , I have to deliver the flyers, but I hate them as much as you probably do( if not more!

) From your frendly posty...............Pedro

Golf Cart · Post by **Golf Cart** » Wed Feb 25, 2009 2:39 pm

And a big thanks to the guy who thought of the Super Box. Now I don't have to take my "junk mail" all the way back home just to put into a blue box. That Super Box has an awesome little slot that accepts any and all mail that does not have my name or address on it

after oil · Post by **after oil** » Wed Feb 25, 2009 3:20 pm

Golf Cart wrote:And a big thanks to the guy who thought of the Super Box. Now I don't have to take my "junk mail" all the way back home just to put into a blue box. That Super Box has an awesome little slot that accepts any and all mail that does not have my name or address on it

my mail comes to a bank of boxes down the road on the corner. i met the delivery lady one day and told her i dont want junk or advertising. she put a little red sticker inside my box to remind her not to put any unadressed mail in there. now the only junk i get is mostly from stephen harper. he's making sure to keep the paper industry strong...