Safety of Parking Lots

How Safe Are Pedestrians In Local Parking Lots?

With the continued migration of populations to urban environments and the ongoing growth of suburbia in the U.S., people are congregating in more dense locations than ever before in history. As populations continue to grow in dense urban locations, pedestrians will be exposed to dangers of vehicles in parking lots. Studies show that about one in four pedestrian-related accidents occurs in parking lots.Many of these incidents occur in grocery stores, apartment complexes, and other parking lots

Factors To Improve Parking Lot Safety

90-Degree Two-Way Parking Aisles With Parking Blocks.

Many parking lots leverage an angled one-way parking aisle design to help guide traffic patterns and reduce the chances of head-on vehicle crashes. However, this type of parking lot aisle design makes each aisle narrower than the 90-degree two-way parking aisle designation. The narrow aisle width of angled parking aisle means that pedestrians have less time to react to vehicles backing up. While 90-degree parking aisles reduce traffic conflicts, this improved efficiency causes drivers to drive at higher speeds compared to 90-degree two-way parking aisles.

Improved Building Frontage Roads

Building Frontage Roads are the main roads that connect city streets to the parking structure location. Placing speed controlling devices like BetterStops Speed Bumps and pedestrian crossing signs is necessary to ensure that drivers are warned of pedestrian presence. This is especially important in grocery and retail store parking lots.

Raised Islands At The End Of Parking Rows

Some parking lots featured either a stripped end island, while others have a built island at the end of parking rows. Since striped end islands don’t do an adequate job to prevent drivers from illegally parking in this area, many parking lots are adopting a raised island feature. A raised island does a better job of preventing drivers from illegally parking in these areas as well as Parking Blocks (BetterStops Parking Blocks) to show car drivers what is a Parking space and what is not. Since fewer cars are parked at the end of parking rows, pedestrians and drivers have improved visibility and fewer distractions. This results in slower driving speeds and improved safety for everyone in the immediate environment. A well-designed parking lot isn’t only a place where vehicles are parked, but it should also ensure the safety of the pedestrians as well as the environment. Unfortunately, not all parking lots meet this standard, and this is the usual cause of accidents.

Some Final Thoughts

Some final steps to improve the safety of parking lots. One way that can ensure the safety of both drivers and pedestrians is to locate parking lots behind buildings. This makes the journey for pedestrians to reach the main entrance safer compared to having to interact with many vehicles towards the front of the building. Another way that could enhance parking lot safety is by installing BetterStops Speed Bumps in areas where vehicles need to maintain a slow speed .Other traffic calming devices like pedestrian crosswalk signs should be placed to help drivers and pedestrians interact safely. In these areas, Parking lots should have extra lighting and keep the area well lit during evening hours.

There are always more ways to improve, Let us here at BetterStops help you make your parking lot safer and more efficient!