LATEST UPDATE: Some people in a southwest neighborhood are breathing a sigh of relief after police have finally agreed to help out their parking nightmare.
Starting Tuesday, police will be ticketing and citing any car parked in "No Parking" zones around the post office on Buffalo Drive and Russell Road. The agreement comes after people in that neighborhood complained the parked cars were a safety concern.
People in that neighborhood would still like to see a more permanent parking solution, like more parking spaces added, but for now they say they're happy to see that police have gotten involved.
SECOND UPDATE: People in one southwest neighborhood are still fighting a parking nightmare, but now, some have received a letter from police about the issue.
An email was sent to some people living near the post office on Russell Road and Buffalo Drive by the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department, that says in part, police will not be citing any cars parked at the post office illegally until there is a parking solution.
One postal worker says workers at the post office were accidentally told they could park in "No Parking" zones, and now visitors are following suit.
UPDATE: Parking problems at a post office in the southwest valley have escalated, after a bullet hole was found through the post office window.
"I just think tensions are escalating," says Fran, who lives nearby.
People who live nearby the post office fear the violence is a result of tensions from parking issues. There are hundreds of postal workers, and hundreds of visitors to the post office every day, but there isn't nearly enough parking.
Both workers and visitors are having to park in nearby neighborhoods, blocking driveways and parking in red zones or in no parking zones.
Neighbors say after the bullet hole was found, they're desperate for a solution.
"It's a little frustrating, we're just not sure where to go or what to do, and who can come help us," says Fran.
Representatives with the United States Postal Service provided a statement.
"The employees at the Westridge Station have been using a nearby vacant lot for parking, but our access to that lot was recently restricted. So our employees were parking on the street until we could find a better solution. We have informed all of the employees that street parking was available on the east side of Miller Street.
"We will evaluate this situation over the next couple weeks and make necessary adjustments. We want to be a good neighbor and still be able to provide vital postal services to the community. We apologize to the neighborhood but we didn't get any notice and have been working on solutions. We will continue to look for solutions that will both accommodate our employees and be sensitive to the surrounding neighborhood."
ORIGINAL STORY
LAS VEGAS (KTNV) -- The post office near Russell Road and Rainbow Boulevard is one of the busiest in the city. More routes are being added but there are not enough parking spots to go around.
Employees were parking in a dirt lot behind the post office, until no parking signs were posted. That led employees to park on the street but that's not going over well with neighbors.
"You buy the house. You pay for it and then you get these people interfering with our day to day life," Teresa Dickens said.
Some say it's turning into a safety issue. "It's crowded so if you had a fire in here. . .the fire trucks can't get in," Fernando Gannon said.
The American Postal Workers Union says they are working on a solution. Even though neighbors are upset, they say the postal workers are just caught in the middle.
"These people are here making a living. Why do they have to worry where to park?" Dickens said.
