160242~Do dismount
– and deliver the mail—
For years carriers have had this problem and for years we have handled it well. I feel certain that the carrier, and postmaster, are not speaking of the occassional auto parked in front of a mailbox or the occassional trash can left in front of the box – mostly the problem lies with the resident, or their dependents, who are parking in front of the mailbox when there is a driveway or another location to park at that will not block the mail carrier from doing their job.
I have found that most of the time the parked auto could have allowed just two more feet and delivery could have been accomplished with no problem – but no thought was given to this when parking their car.
Carrier routes are adjusted to 8 hours and carriers are expected by their managers to stay as close to this schedule as possible. Having to dismount just 10 deliveries can affect this schedule, place additional safety issues upon the carrier (not his managers), and invite a repeat of this dismount in the future.
Your carrier works hard for you and for the service. Please understand that asking for clear access to your mailbox is not an attempt to burden you, but an attempt to serve you better.
The occassional blocked box is no problem for the vast majority of carriers and most of the time the carrier knows if the auto belongs to the resident or to someone else.
