Postal Letter

My mailman is saying there is too much snow in front of the mailbox in the street and I should clean it?

I live in WI where there is alot of snow, but I feel it is the city's responsibility to clean this snow and not mine. Why should I clean the snow using my snowblower when it is the city's snowplow's responsibility?

Public Comments

1. i think it is a little petty - if you want your mail, just do it...if you want to get even shovel it back into the street
2. leave a shovel by mailbox for him,with a nice chocolat on top.!
3. I think it would be a nice gesture. Do you ever use the mailbox?
4. well to be polite for one plus if it help him to deliver your mail more easy then yes i would shovel the snow from my mail box but only around my mail box area not the whole road !
5. If you want your mail - shovel. Heck, you aren't even really shovelling with a snowblower. Put your faith in Government and you will be disappointed everytime.
6. I live in MI and I think we have similar amounts of snow as you do in WI. The city's snowplow did not come by the last time it snowed (yesterday) and there is a shortage of salt. So there may be a similar situation there in WI. Maybe you could be helpful this once so you could get your mail and just clear it off.
7. Because if you don't, you won't get your mail! Your mailman probably delivers to several hundred houses, if the homeowners ALL felt the way you do, only the first half-dozen houses on his route would EVER get their mail!
8. If ya want your mail, you'll clean it! My son's mail box was was "5 inches too far from the curb", and the mail man refused to deliver their mail! And he had to move out, so the lil fellow wouldn't have to streach his arm soo far! Then they re-started his mail service!
9. its your place to clean around the mailbox not the city.they only clean the streets. besides it is good exercise for you
10. I could be wrong but I think the street is the cities problem. You should check with them and also with your post office it is possible you just have a grouchy postman. Anyway what their motto not rain nor gloom nor dark of night???? something like that. I thought they were unstoppable
11. How big is the city you live in? The city snow plows have priorities, i.e. main streets. They will probly get to your street when they can, but believe me you can't win when it comes to fighting the post office. You are better off clearing the snow yourself, pain in the butt, I know, but how bad do you want your mail?
12. the city removes the snow from the streets if they haven't done this, then tell your mail man to contact the city and stop complaining if they have cleaned the streets and its piled infront of your mail box...then remove it yourself
13. If it was me,I would just clean the mailbox and the part of the street around it.Besides,he wasnt asking you to clean the whole street or anything.No offence though,just an opinion.
14. Do you want your mail? Take pictures with stuff in picture that you can reference distances and depths off of - stick a yard stick in the snow, cereal box laying on snow, etc. Make notes on photos as to when, where, time they were taken. Clean the snow away from your mailbox. Take your pictures to USPS inspectors and to city dept of transportation. they should correct the situation or tell you to get a life of course, if it is the snowplow operator who gets the blame, you may not have a mailbox next time or if it is the post office, your mail may end up next door
15. if u want mail
16. If you don't shovel they will not deliver. If you do shovel and they fall you are responsible because you didn't do a good job. It's a catch 22, I would just shovel or snow blow. How much more time will it take. Good Luck Moskie257
17. Get off your lazy ass and shovel it, don't you have something more important to bitch about?
18. if you don't shovel, you don't get any bills, if you don't get your bills you can't pay them, if you don't pay them the electric and gas companies will turn off your service and you'll freeze to death....................shovel the snow and be happy!
19. Problem is -- even if it's the city's problem, mail is a federal system. that makes it your problem, sorry. You're going to have to shovel that snow. Do you really think the city and national governments are going to cooperate just for you, so you won't have to shovel snow in front of YOUR mailbox?
20. ever hear of an easement? the city get to use the last three feet of your property and for that privilege you get to maintain it. cities are responsible for maintaining the roads, you get to do the walk ways...
21. I used to live in Wisconsin and we always shoveled the snow away from our mailbox. We lived in the country and were willing to remove the last little bit of snow to allow the mail to be delivered. It also meant that the plows did not have to risk getting too close to the mailbox with a large plow and damaging it. What have your neighbors done with their mailboxes? In town, there may be some ordinance that requires homeowners to remove snow from their sidewalks which are generally city property. Check your own city's ordinances to see how thoroughly and/or frequently the city is required to maintain clear streets. Cities pay for costs based on the amount of taxes collected from its citizens. It might be possible to raise taxes enough to pay for a brigade of individuals to shovel the last little edges of snow from around your property. The extra 5 minutes using your snowblower will be time well spent.
22. Good gosh, just shovel it.... what is wrong with people these days???
23. You are required to clear your mail box for mail delivery. I you do not clear an access to the mail box the mailman/woman/person does not have to deliver the mail.
24. do you want your mail or not? you could rent a p.o. box and walk to the post office to get it.