Curbside Mail Boxes vs. Mail Delivered to House. How Come?

[Lowell]

Driving through Livonia [and I have seen this situation elsewhere] I pass through areas where there are curbside mail boxes on one side of the road but not on other. Then it will switch to both or none.

There seems to be no rhyme or reason. At first I guessed that the houses with post boxes must be set back too far from the sidewalk. But that was negated as on some streets houses with post boxes were much closer to the walk than the other side that had doorstep delivery.

I could see where that could grind some folks.

Enlighten me oh forum.

[DetroitPlanner]

USPS has their own rules when it comes to delivery. I am sure that this has to do with how quickly the mail can be delivered. Different land uses dictate how mail is delivered. For example if you went into the dense parts of Livonia, say Rosedale Gardens or Laurel Park you won't find any roadside mailboxes, but areas with large lots you will find them, usually on one side as it is easier to sort the mail. Newer developments may have clusters of mailboxes as the homes may not be on large lots and are clustered into Condo or similar types of developments.

[jiminnm]

I expect that it was a post office requirement, to facilitate mail delivery by vehicle [[which is much more efficient than by foot, setting aside theft possibility issues). The reason there's a mix is likely due to timing of the home construction.

The community I live in has no home delivery. There are banks of 50-60 lockable boxes in the area where the mail is delivered. Our house was built 14 years ago and I think all new developments have similar delivery. Some communities here have no delivery at all, one has to rent a p.o. box to get mail.

[Johnnny5]

I'm not sure about the houses without mailboxes, but it's common practice where I live to have mailboxes for both sides on one side of the street. It speeds up the routes as the drivers don't have to double back to catch the other side of the street.

[Blueidone]

According to what I've been told, all new construction, since about the late 1970's is required to have street mailboxes, and what they call "gang" mailboxes where possible. The complex I lived in a few years back, just squeaked in under the wire of the date and got home delivery, but they told us if we had been completed a couple months later, gang mailboxes would have been required.

Can't speak to the rest of it...that's the limit of my personal knowledge on the issue.

[thomprod]

Our Waterford subdivision has mailboxes on one side of the street except for the houses in the last block of a dead-end street. They have boxes on both sides, I assume, because the mail truck has to turn around and drive back out of the dead-end in the other direction.

[Jimaz]

Tip: For those with mailboxes at the street, the post office will deliver instead to an approved mailbox at the door in winter months if there is a ice-safety risk for elderly or handicapped customers.

Those gang mailboxes had a reputation for mail theft in Phoenix. There was a lot of check washing going on. It's easier to break into the big back door to get access to all of the boxes at once.

Be nice to your letter carrier. They're going through stressful times right now. We used to have the same carrier for years but now we have a different one every day. That can't be efficient. Sometimes they're still making deliveries after dark.