My neighborhood delivers the mail on foot, while the truck is parked most of the day. The delivery man walks more than a Pacific Crest Trail thru-hiker.
Because of the delays due to rules (vehicle in park before unbuckle, seat belt buckled before moving, door shut), and the huge penalties for forgetting a rule even once, it is common for drivers to park and then run back and forth to the truck.
https://jalopnik.com/watch-an-amazon-driver-explain-the-comp...
Historically: It's by section of the route. Each route is supposed to have designated walking or riding sections.
That might have changed recently though.