Mailman walks through landscape rock instead of sidewalk (window, furniture, convert)
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
Change your landscaping. Some thorny blackberry brambles ought to do the trick, and the bonus is that you and/or the birds get some yummy blackberries.
Quote:
Originally Posted by KaaBoom
On the bright side it could be a lot worse. You could have a mailman like this.
I'd have so much fun "planting" nails and glass in my yard! *evil grin*
It's a lesson you learn in school (algebra class) the shortest distance between 2 points is a straight line. So it's quicker to cut it as short as you can. We've had meter readers just walk across the whole yard from house to house.
Shortest route, but not necessarily the easiest. Throughout the many snows we've had this year, the mailman always cuts right across the yard, trudging through 8, 10 inches of snow, instead of walking up and down the nicely shoveled walks.
I often wondered how they got paid -- per route or per hour? The route must get done an awful lot quicker when there's no snow.
A few (not many) years ago we had a new concrete driveway, sidewalk and porch poured. Between the front of the house and the sidewalk, we have a rock garden - river rock plus a large rock with accent plants. It is right next to the sidewalk and instead of taking three or four steps to the sidewalk, the mailman/mailmen - can change depending on the day - will walk right through the rocks. This leaves footprints in the rocks and they also tend to kick rocks out onto the sidewalk as they walk. WE never walk through it; why does the mailman feel free to do it? They even did it last spring when we had plants coming up, obviously completely oblivious that they might be stepping on new plants. We are never right there to catch them doing it and say something to them. I usually work at home, but my office is removed from the from of the house so I don't hear/see the mailman. Today I was in the living room, though, and heard "crunch, crunch, crunch" but by the time I got to the door they were already gone.
My husband wants to put a short white picket fence or benches along the edge of the rock garden to keep them from walking through. I think that will take away from the look of it. I thought about a "please use the sidewalk" sign, but again that will look tacky.
I think it's ridiculous to have to even tell people not to walk through your rock garden. Isn't is common sense? We didn't spend all the time and money on landscaping for it to be a walk-through for the mailman!
When we have friends or even strangers over, THEY don't walk through the rock garden. I don't know why various mailmen would think it's okay.
The mailman goes to your house *every day* Just leave a note on the mailbox, they'll find it. Or, you could simply confront them when they're walking up and politely ask them not to walk on the rocks.
If you have a different mailman every day, call your local post office and ask to speak to the supervisor. All you have to do is ask that whoever delivers to your place stays on the walkways.
It should work. I used to work for the postal service and we'd get requests, complaints, and comments like this all of the time. Honestly, don't take it personally. This man or woman is doing their job. When I was a letter carrier, I was walking for 6 hours per day, with my head down in the mail. It was rare that I even noticed what I was walking on, trying to keep up with the rate of the route and to deliver all of the mail in a timely manner. I appreciated those customers who would confront me face to face and politely tell me what their problem was, because more likely than not I was *working* not looking around at the pretty flowers/rocks/whatever around people's lawns.
I may be wrong but I think I've read somewhere that mail carriers are instructed to not cut across lawns. They are to use the sidewalks - hoping you have sidewalks. Check into it.
That said, I live in a complex of apartment buildings and our carriers also cut right across the lawns. Some do go out to the edge of the street (no sidewalks there) but most cut right through the middle of the grass. Even in deep snow, they seem to prefer that route. Sidewalks from the street up to the buildings are clean. Streets are clean. But they cut through the snow.
Ask USPS what the rules are about walking on your lawn, rock garden or not. I don't think they are allowed to do that.
And a pitbull chained to the holly tree, trained to bite at anyone who comes near the landscaping. Would definitely solve OP's problem with the mailmen..
It's a lesson you learn in school (algebra class) the shortest distance between 2 points is a straight line. So it's quicker to cut it as short as you can. We've had meter readers just walk across the whole yard from house to house.
Since you have various carriers I'd suggest you make some kind of decorative path that they can use. Stand in the area they walk on and imagine/visualize the different possibilities that rocks, pavers, etc etc would look good, enhancing the area, and solve the problem.
Any workable landscape design a takes foot traffic into consideration. I see many designs, some commercial, that do not work because of the failure to accept that people need to not be directed away from their destination. Many homeowners see a design they have seen and like and arbitrarily duplicate it where it doesn't fit. If this is a poll......i vote to fix the path with pavers or stepping stone.
Change your landscaping. Some thorny blackberry brambles ought to do the trick, and the bonus is that you and/or the birds get some yummy blackberries.
I'd have so much fun "planting" nails and glass in my yard! *evil grin*
Aha! What is that tree that drops little prickly fruit to the ground? Can't say it right now but i'll bet people know. Plant one of those.
It's a lesson you learn in school (algebra class) the shortest distance between 2 points is a straight line. So it's quicker to cut it as short as you can. We've had meter readers just walk across the whole yard from house to house.
Since you have various carriers I'd suggest you make some kind of decorative path that they can use. Stand in the area they walk on and imagine/visualize the different possibilities that rocks, pavers, etc etc would look good, enhancing the area, and solve the problem.
Why? Something else we learned as children: "Do not walk on the grass." And, definitely do not walk in other people's yards. "Common courtesy" it was called. Why does anyone have to go to the expense and labor to invite foot traffic across his yard?
Common courtesy isn't so common any more.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
