Common Street Names With The Same Zip Code Create Confusion On Long Island

RIVERHEAD, N.Y. (CBSNewYork) -- Maple Avenue and Park Place are common street names, but in one Long Island community, multiple Maples and other common names share the same zip code.

As CBS2's Carolyn Gusoff reported, residents are fed up.

At Dory's Day Care the biggest challenge is often, getting there.

"It's horrible because I get people's mail, they get my mail. I have to give them explicit directions because you can't find me," Dory Denario said.

The name of the street 'Riverside Drive' is in the same zip code as another Riverside just a half mile away.

Denario is one of thousands of residents on 32 streets in the towns of Riverhead and Southampton with similar names sharing the same zip code.

There are also 18 streets with identical names in the same zip code, like East Street in Southampton Town and East Street in Riverhead, both with the same zip code.

"I do get some weird deliveries, things I have nothing to do with, they are not mine," Phil Tucci said.

Confusion nearly cost Carol Findlay prized Yankees tickets.

"We barely made it because the UPS guy got lost," she said.

Far worse, is the fear that the next driver who gets lost may be coming to save a life.

"Time is of the essence when you make that 911 call," Rep. Lee Zeldin (R-Patchogue) said.

Zeldin is asking the U.S. Postmaster to create three new zip codes in three hamlets in the town of Southampton.

"The answer here is for the Postmaster General to figure out how to get to 'yes,'" Zeldin said.

What seemed like a quick fix has stalled for decades. The U.S. Postal Service said it's complicated to change a zip code, banking, security, credit cards, even airline tickets can be tied into your zip code.

In the digital age, residents say it's time to make the change a priority.

"Now it matters because more people are buying things online, more things are being shipped, and the GPS doesn't bring you to where you want to be," one resident said.

The Postal Service said it will survey residents before giving the new zip codes a stamp of approval, and plans to review the issue over the next 60 days.