Ahwatukee letter carriers say they’re going into overtime and customer service is getting worse since the post office has asked them to park their vehicles and walk the streets to deliver mail, but officials with the United States Postal Service (USPS) say the changes are meant to increase efficiency and safety for the carriers.

“There have been some changes made on some of the routes in Ahwatukee, but it is also being done throughout the city of Phoenix,” said Peter Hass, spokesperson for the USPS Arizona district. “In some areas of Ahwatukee there are delivery boxes that are not on the curb next to the street but are across the sidewalk. For each delivery the carrier would stop his or her vehicle, stop the engine, set the brake, walk across the sidewalk to deliver mail. In order to be more efficient and also provide safer delivery conditions for those employees we made a change to those routes in Ahwatukee, and others in Phoenix.”

Hass went on to explain the change was done to decrease the time letter carriers are spending parking and getting in and out of their trucks. Having a designated parking spot and walking the route is actually safer for carriers, he said. Some carriers may be taking extra time right now, but Hass expects times to improve once the carriers adjust to the new delivery schedule.

“It becomes more efficient, reduces fuel consumption, is more environmentally friendly, and reduces wear and tear on the vehicles as well, and it’s safer for the carriers to deliver this way,” Hass said.

Ahwatukee letter carriers disagree. One letter carrier, who did not wish to be identified, said it’s well known that there are more injuries to carriers walking than riding in trucks. In his case he has asked for a cart to help with delivering his mail, rather than a satchel, but the cart weighs 45 pounds on its own and it’s a heavy piece of equipment to load and unload up to 18 times a day. It’s also harder to respond to a dangerous situation when your hands are full of mail.
Mail delivery moving slow in some Ahwatukee areas