Every year Isle of Man Post Office conducts a review and risk assessment of the location of its post boxes and the safety associated with each collection point across the Island.
Geoff Corkish MBE MLC, Chairman of Isle of Man Post Office said:
"We assess where our post boxes are across the Island and whether they are in a dangerous position for our customers to use. This year we paid particular regard to the Coroner's concerns following the fatal accident which took place in Cronk-Y-Voddy, involving a refuse collection vehicle and a biker. As a result, we identified some locations where we have post boxes which are deemed to be in hazardous positions and therefore we have started to take some action to correct this."
A post box in a wall on the Main Road in Glen Vine, right at the junction with the Glen Darragh Road, was identified as a particularly unsafe place to stop for collecting or posting mail and was hardly ever used. It was on a T-junction controlled by traffic lights and created a hazard for employees and customers alike. We took the decision to remove this box and not replace it because there is an alternative post box on the same side of the road approximately 200m towards Douglas. This is a far safer location for postal staff to pull in to and collect the mail from.
Meanwhile the post box located outside the former Post Office on the Main Road in Crosby was also identified as potentially unsafe. This box has been replaced by one on the opposite side of the road next to the bus stop. This is a far more convenient location where the majority of residents reside and also where the pavement is wider and it's a safer place for drivers to stop and use the box.
The third location is at the former Glenside Residential Home on Glencrutchery Road in Douglas. Since the closure of the residential home at Easter, there has been a marked reduction in its daily use. Furthermore this box was also in a potentially hazardous spot which warranted its removal. The next nearest post box is available by Shoprite, Victoria Road.
Mr Corkish MBE MLC added:
"We recognise that the removal of these boxes may seem to be inconvenient to some customers but we have strengthened our risk assessment processes in respect of delivery and collection points, following advice received from the Health and Safety Inspectorate. Our priority is to ensure that people can post safely and we can collect safely. Although two boxes have been removed, alternative boxes are located nearby."
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