'Worst' Post Office Finds New Way To Torment

KENSINGTON, BROOKLYN — Employees of a Kensington post office, named the “worst in New York City” by the New York Times, has found a new way to torment local residents – parking on city sidewalks.

Kensington Station Post Office employees have been parking on the McDonald Avenue walkway, just outside the post office garage, inconveniencing and possibly endangering pedestrians, locals said.

“When did it become okay to park on the sidewalk?” one Kensington resident wrote in the neighborhood’s private Facebook group. “If you work for the post office, you have the right to be an inconsiderate jerk?"

“My toddler cannot [b]e seen over the hood of any car,” added a Kensington mother who worried about her son’s safety. “It’s a city sidewalk, made for the safety of pedestrians, not for parking cars.”

The Kensington post office workers who park on the sidewalk use city-issued placards — cards that allow owners to park in certain spots that would normally be illegal and avoid fines — which have been a source of frustration to New Yorkers for years.

In response to the city-wide placard problem, Mayor Bill de Blasio promised in March “to crack down on the improper use of City parking placards” by hiring 100 more Traffic Enforcement Agents, creating an anti-placard investigation unit and increasing penalties for abuse.

But according to the Twitter whistleblower @placardabuse — who has posted more than 5,000 photos of official cars parked in front of fire hydrants, in bus lanes and on city sidewalks — placard abuse continues.

The Kensington post office is famed for bad service, with residents reporting employees leave stacks of mail unattended, curse at customers and frequently lose packages.

“The Post Office has a large parking lot there that employees used to be allowed to park in,” Kensington resident Jack Wallace pointed out. “They also have the parking spaces in front of the building restricted to their vehicles only. In my opinion, there is no acceptable excuse for them parking on the sidewalk.”

"If it fits i sits," joked another resident. "Kensington/boro parks new parking rules."

Wallace has contacted City Councilman Brad Lander and New York Assemblyman Robert Carroll, both of whom promised to report the problem to the 66th Precinct.

“Totally unacceptable to turn our sidewalks into a parking lot,” Lander wrote on Facebook.

But other residents disagreed.

“It's already the worst Post Office in the city and has been for many, many years, so it's not worth p---ing them off,” wrote a Kensington commenter.

“Not a good idea to irritate any postal worker,” wrote another. “The rest of us may pay the price for that little exchange.”

“Watch out, or you'll never see your mail again..lol”

A spokesman from the United States Post Office did not immediately respond to Patch's request for comment.

Photos by Kathleen Culliton