Creating an optimal parking lot design is vital to ensuring that the lot has a seamless flow of traffic, that parking capacity is maximized, and that potential risks for drivers and pedestrians are minimized. In this article, we’ll delve into 4 steps to parking lot design, and explore 6 of the best practices that are a must for achieving functionality, efficiency, and safety.
1. Begin With Understanding Your Parking Lot’s Measurements
Before you can even begin the parking lot design process, you need accurate measurements of the lot itself. You can get this information through satellite images, legal paperwork, land surveys, or by physically measuring the available space yourself. When figuring out your lot’s measurements, make sure to also consider setbacks from the property lines or any constraints related to the entry and exit lanes of your lot.
2. Determine Your Parking Space Dimensions & Layout
The dimensions of parking spaces will significantly impact the overall capacity and efficiency of your parking lot design. Public parking spaces are normally 9’x18’ but smaller spaces like that 7.25’ x 15.1’ can be incorporated for compact vehicles. The width of your driving aisles should range between 11’-23’ depending on the parking angle of choice. Explore different layout options for corners that maximize the space while keeping the lot’s navigation easy, and don’t forget to add in accessible parking.
3. Bring Parking Lot Design Software Onboard
A great way to help simplify the parking lot design process is to make use of parking lot design software as a way to help you visualize and test multiple layout styles. This type of software allows you to experiment with different parking lot configurations, giving you the flexibility to adjust stall counts, area dimensions, and objects in the space, so you can find the optimal space yield for your lot.
4. How Much Revenue Can Your Parking Lot Design Generate?
Once you’ve finalized your parking lot design, it’s time to evaluate how much revenue it can generate and what the potential ROI is as this helps determine how feasible the design is. Use a parking revenue calculator to estimate potential earnings based on the number of daily parkers, average parking price, and the number of operating days per year. By comparing the estimated revenue with the cost of implementing a parking system, you can determine the return-on-investment (ROI) and the payback period for the investment.
6 Additional Practices to Follow After Your Foundation Is Set
While the above steps provide a solid foundation for your parking lot design, there are additional practices you should follow to ensure your lot is user-friendly and an efficient parking experience:
1. Traffic Flow: determine what the purpose of the parking lot is and design for it. For example, a retail customer is going to have different parking needs than that of a working employee or a third-party supplier.
2. Pedestrian Safety & Convenience: excellent parking lot design takes into account pedestrian safety and convenience. Provide clear walkways that are separated from the driving aisles, and install ample lighting for visibility. Make sure that all accessible parking spaces are located near facility entrances, and provide easy access to these spaces.
3. Consider Driver Safety When Entering & Leaving Parking Spaces: optimize the parking lot’s layout to eliminate dead-end parking areas that create additional traffic flow along aisles. To eliminate this type of negative scenario, look at parallel, perpendicular, and angled parking to see which fits best with the available space you have and the number of vehicles you want to accommodate.
4. Environmental Considerations: weather conditions are going to have a direct impact on your parking lot’s safety, and longevity. Ensure proper drainage to prevent water accumulation during rainy seasons, and provide shaded areas to protect vehicles from extreme heat. If you expect snowfall, plan for snow plowing and designate areas for snow storage that don’t take up available parking spaces.
5. Entrance & Exit Lanes: when it comes to entrance and exit lanes, locate these strategically away from busy intersections and pedestrian crosswalks to ensure safe and efficient traffic flow. Good parking lot design takes into consideration the number and type of vehicles expected to use the lot and incorporates barrier gates and smart parking meters to allocate space.
6. Make It Easy With User-Friendly Features: make it easy for those coming and going by having clear signage, proper striping to designate regular and handicapped spaces, and provide visual aids to denote barriers and accessibility features.
Trust DCPLM For Expert Parking Lot Design
Designing an efficient and profitable parking lot requires careful planning and consideration of both drivers and pedestrians. By using the best practices outlined in this article, you can create a layout that optimizes the space you have, enhances traffic flow, and maximizes revenue potential. If you need assistance with your parking lot design or have any questions, our expert team here at DCPLM can guide you through the design process. Contact us to schedule a consultation, and take the first step toward a successful parking lot design.
