Professional parking lot line layout ensures your commercial parking lot will be safe. With the right design, the space you have will be maximized and organized to keep the traffic flow within it fluid and orderly, preventing accidents.
A well-planned lot with clear, smartly arranged lines is vital to your property’s success. The lot’s pedestrian safety is also at the forefront of priorities when it comes to planning your line layout.
Read on to discover the factors that make up your lots’ markings and arm yourself with the information you need to make wise choices for your commercial property.
How Parking Lot Lines Are Planned
Know the measurements of your lot.
Begin with the facts. What are your lot’s dimensions? Are there any required setbacks from the property line? Are there specific limits to the location and width of your entry and exit laneways?
What are the dimensions for each parking space within your lot?
The size of each parking space is a key factor that will influence how many spaces your lot can accommodate. Public parking spaces are typically 9’ by 18’, but can come as compact as 7.25’ by 15.1’. Aisles for driving between spaces may range from 11’ to 23’.
Contact your local zoning and planning authorities
Your local area will have specific guidelines about accessible parking spaces, and you should contact your planning and zoning offices early on in the parking lot planning process. Learn the required location, size, and number of accessible parking spaces you’ll need to include.
Evaluate which Design will work most efficiently for your space.
The most common designs include:
- Angled parking
- Perpendicular parking
- Parallel parking
Take an objective look at your lot and choose which of these, or which combination of these, will work best in your commercial parking lot.
Determine how your parking lot entrance and exit positions vehicles.
When someone turns into your parking lot, how is their vehicle situated within your lot? When they exit, which direction do they come from and go to?
Decide the direction that traffic will flow within your lot.
Evaluate if it is more practical for traffic to go one way or two ways within your parking lot.
Assess how many spaces you need.
The number of parking spaces within your lot is a vital part of planning its line design.
Balance maximizing space with preventing overcrowding.
While you want to make the most of the space you have, you also need to balance that with keeping your lot from getting congested.
Keep safety in the forefront of your parking lot design decisions.
Ensure it is safe for vehicles to enter and exit parking spaces even when your lot is near its capacity.
Consider the purpose and unique needs of your commercial parking lot.
What type of vehicles will use your parking lot? Retail lots may need to accommodate both customers and suppliers.
Factor in how quick the turnover rate is in your lot.
High-turnover parking lots often have spaces at 45- or 60-degree angles because they’re quicker to pull in and out of. When your lot is used for full-day parking, a 90-degree angle may be more appropriate.
Configure Your Parking Lot Layout to Ensure Pedestrian Safety
People will need to walk in your parking lot, so build in features for their protection.
Know the value of parking spaces placed perpendicularly to your building.
Rows of lines in front of your building minimize the number of pedestrians crossing traffic within your lot—and that’s ideal.
Provide crosswalks from your parking area to your business entrance.
Pedestrians utilize well-marked crosswalks to get safely from your lot into your establishment.
Minimize the number of aisles pedestrians need to cross.
The fewer lines of traffic pedestrians cross, the safer they are on your property.
Get the Optimal Design for Your Commercial Property
Do you need customized new parking lot line layouts? No problem! At EverLine Coatings and Services, our experienced team will ensure your project turns out better than expected. We are fully committed to the success of your property, which is why we measure twice and paint once.
You can rest at ease when you contact us for your property’s line striping. Take a moment to learn more about the work we do.
