Seen On

350 Baltimore Mailboxes Set To Be Removed

BALTIMORE (WJZ) ― That big blue mailbox that sits on many a Baltimore corner may be going the way of the dinosaur.

Suzanne Collins reports for some living in the city, that will present a hardship.

Many older residents of Locust Point and Federal Hill use a mailbox on Fort Avenue to send mail.  It's one of the 350 that are being removed.

David Scott is partially disabled and lives with his elderly father.  He uses the box to pay all their bills.

"I can't walk to the post office.  I've got 90 minutes of mobility a day.  I'd have to take a cab to the post office and wait for it, pay the meter when it's running and then get the cab back," he said.

The post office says use of the boxes has dropped drastically as people pay bills on the Internet and send mail from home and work.

"For the most part, I pay everything online.  The few things I do mail, I send actually from work, so the mailbox doesn't really affect me," said Jessica Brown.

The postmaster says there should still be a box remaining several blocks from the one being removed.

"Any postal carrier will be happy to take mail, so you can hand it to your carrier.  You can put it in your mailbox and when they deliver your mail that day, they'll pick it up," said Baltimore Postmaster Bill Ridenour.

But one man says there's a risk to putting outgoing mail in your own mailbox.

"Most people, if they have checks going out, yes, it's a problem," said John Ruff.  "If someone picks it out of their mailbox and it doesn't get to the destination, and think of the trouble that causes."

The postmaster says if you want to know the location of remaining mailboxes in your area, the local post office can answer your questions.

(© MMVIII, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.)