USPS Blocked Mailboxes From Parking. Help? (homes, buying, construction)

[i want peace]

Originally Posted by locinstall

what should I do about people parking in front of my mail box?

Did you ever solve this serious problem? I have the same problem!! What are the legal rules, how far should cars park from curbside mailboxes. I live on a crowded cul de sac. My neighbor has 5 vehicles, and thinks he owns the street!!

[joninclay]

Originally Posted by i want peace

Did you ever solve this serious problem? I have the same problem!! What are the legal rules, how far should cars park from curbside mailboxes. I live on a crowded cul de sac. My neighbor has 5 vehicles, and thinks he owns the street!!

Call the cops and tell them what's going on. See what they tell you, then report back here so that we will know how to deal with jackwagons like your neighbor, too.

[Robyn55]

This seems to fall in the category of "there ought to be a law". There's a post office rule that says the postman won't deliver the mail unless the mailbox is unobstructed - but it says it's the homeowner's responsibility to keep the area clear. There's a state statute that says you can't block a rural mailbox on a state road during various hours - but that doesn't seem to apply here. Various homeowners' associations have rules - and some municipalities have rules - but JAX doesn't seem to have any rules (didn't check St. Johns or Clay).

I Want Peace - First thing I would do if a friendly talk with the neighbor didn't work (I'd try that first) is I'd park my car in front of his mailbox. Perhaps the carrier won't deliver his mail a few times and he'll get the message. Another thing that might help. Explain the situation to the carrier - give him/her a big tip - and see if you can arrange a convenient place for the carrier to leave your mail.

A possible solution to blocks with problems like this (small blocks with lots of cars) is installing a commercial type multi-user locked mailbox that meets post office regulations somewhere on the street - and have everyone agree not to park there (set it up as a non-parking zone) and to have their mail delivered there. My father's townhouse community has this kind of set-up - and it works pretty well.

FWIW - we have car issues in our community too (although not with mailboxes). Why do people have so many cars (we have households with 2 adults where people own 4-5 cars)? Robyn

[Chillgrl1]

WOW! We're going through the same with our carrier. We get little nasty notes in our mailbox almost once every 2 weeks. I've noticed it all depends on who the carrier is. My car is parked 9 feet away from the mailbox so I know it's not obstructing his way. So why the note? Sometimes it isn't even my car parked in front. I have no control over that!! What about when they deliver my mail to the street next to mine or when they deliver my neighbors mail to my house(this happens often). Thank goodness we have a decent neighborhood or we may never see some of our mail. If a policy did exist then it would be clear cut on both sides, but until then carriers should get over it.

[notSilverman]

The carrier is not going to get over it. He/She will just continue to by-pass your box when the access to it is blocked. Unless the LLV(much bigger than a jeep) the carrier is driving can safely pull up to your box without having to back in and out or make difficult maneuvers. You will not get your mail that day. But you will get your mail and a "nasty gram" the next day your box is accessible. Unless its a package that won't fit in your box or something requiring a signature like Express, registered or certified mail, a carrier will not get out of the vehicle to put mail in your box. On a designated driving route. The driving route is timed for the carrier to drive up and put mail in the box not run all over Gods green earth trying to put mail in blocked boxes. So NO the driver will not get over it in fact he won't really think about it until he gets back to the station and has to fill out the little "nasty gram" in triplicate explaining why your mail was not delivered that day because he is accountable for it, until it is delivered. My younger brother is a mail carrier in St Louis, thats where I got the info.

[roadtrip75]

Originally Posted by dunknballer21

The USPS motto is "through rain, sleet, or snow..."

This is NOT the USPS motto.

The famous quote "Neither snow nor rain nor heat nor gloom of night stays these couriers from the swift completion of their appointed rounds" is just an inscription the architect put on the New York City Post Office building.

Wiki article

[gregg garcia]

Frankly I agree that these new lazy carriers are only hastening their own demise by complaining about parked cars blocking access to mail boxes. As long as those cars are legally parked they have NO legal recourse and cannot stop mail service until they bring up the issue with the local postmaster who then can alone make that decision. In many if not most communities street parking is legal and necessary and unless the USPS can get the area in front of each curbside box painted red they must deliver the mail period! In the case such as ours where the carrier complains that a parked car blocks access to the walkway that leads to our wall mounted mail box, he needs to find a new job and do so soon!

In any event mails carriers are all soon to become the current lamplighters of yesterday!

[houseconfused]

Who wants the mail any way? It's just SPAM and bills.

[anothernewme]

Most people don't realize how difficult it can be to get around hazards without hitting a car, trash can, toy or anything that is in the way daily. I had a basketball net caught on the top bolt of my mirror. I pulled the goal over and broke my mirror and damaged the goal. I have gone around this basketball goal many times with no problem. I don't know if a gust of wind blew or I was millimeters closer to it than I have been every other day, but it happened. Now I have to explain myself and am being punished for this. Rural carriers are not supposed to exit their vehicle to deliver mail and may not be covered by workers compensation if they do so without approval. No one ever thinks that all the stretching pulling and twisting does to a carriers body. I'm 50 and have a double neck fusion, 2 bulging lower back discs, sciatica, carpal tunnels both hands, and shoulder problems. 20 years of this will do this to a carrier. Not lazy just trying to preserve my body for later years.

[fatmama69]

I agree..just try your best to park elsewhere. No they don't have time to unbuckle..place parking breaks..remove key etc just to deliver mail to anyone. They have a million stops to make and yes this slows them down.imagine your neighbor kids leaving their bikes laying in your driveway and you can't pull in. You got to do all the things the carrier has to do AND get out and move the bike. You would be VERY angry wouldn't you? You really don't want retailiation towards your vehicle so just move your car ..