As Congress considers postal reform legislation, Congresswoman Susan Davis (D-San Diego) is leading an effort to ensure door-to-door mail delivery continues.
Davis, who represents central San Diego, La Mesa, Lemon Grove, Spring Valley and parts of El Cajon and Chula Vista, said seniors and people with disabilities would be most be hurt by the forced adoption of cluster boxes.
“Proposals to reduce door delivery are not good for postal customers, businesses or the Postal Service in the long run,” said Rep. Davis. “My constituents who are forced to use cluster boxes report all kinds of problems with them. My constituents with door delivery are very vocal about wanting to keep this critical service.”
A shared cluster box is a unit that holds multiple mail boxes, some of which are poorly maintained, in unsecure areas and sometimes a distance difficult for people with mobility issues, Davis says.
In a letter to the House Committee on Oversight and Government reform, Davis and Reps. Peter King (R-NY) and David Jolly (R-FL) highlighted the strong bipartisan support for maintaining door delivery.
Their House resolution, which urges the continuation of door delivery, has 200 cosponsors.
It would be difficult for elderly people and those with disabilities to get their prescriptions, she says, and studies have shown that in the digital age it is these groups that rely more than ever on getting mail right to their door.
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Cluster boxes are often vandalized and in many neighborhoods there is no suitable location for one, according to Davis.
