Access to quality parking is one of the foundational needs of commercial America. Thanks to the services that well-constructed parking lots provide, businesses can strive for goals while giving vehicular access to employees and customers — without the added obstacle and stress that poorly designed parking facilities tend to cause.

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Let's say you're at the point of needing to revamp your parking layout. While you need to make several considerations, designing a new commercial parking lot doesn't have to be complicated. There are six steps you can follow to ensure a long pavement life for your new parking lot design.

1. Identify the Purpose of Your Lot

Your parking lot's design will be heavily influenced by the purpose it serves. Depending on whether your lot serves as a retail parking location for busy weekend shoppers or to hold the daily truck-loading of large shipments, the size, thickness and overall general layout will be affected. See how different purposes could influence your design strategy:

• Parking lot size: If you operate a university, the recommended number of spaces will be higher than if your parking lot is primarily for restaurant guests. Some industries have code requirements for parking — determined by the square footage of the facility — while others have recommendations based on seats or rooms, as in a hotel.
  
  
• Pavement thickness: Depending on the weight your asphalt will hold day in and day out, the thickness of your pavement will vary. Larger vehicles, such as trucks bearing shipping loads, will require more significant depth. This traffic class, along with the subgrade soil class, or the quality of the soil beneath your pavement, determine how thick your pavement should go for the highest durability.
  
  
• Parking space angles: The angles at which your parking slots are aligned with the driving aisles depend largely on the purpose of your lot. Angles at 45 to 60 degrees are ideal for a parking lot with high turnover, like a convenience store parking lot. Ninety degree angled parking spaces are the most difficult to park in, so they're often reserved for overnight or employee parking, for example.

By looking at the purpose your business and parking lot will be designed for, you'll have a better idea of which parking lot design guidelines you should pay the most attention to.

2. Do the Math: Sizing and Spacing

Commercial parking lot dimension standards can vary tremendously between cities, building types and industries, but there are a handful of steps that can help you calculate just how big of an area your pavement needs to cover:

• Figure out the number of spaces: Going back to the purpose of your parking lot, pinpoint how many parking spaces are either recommended in your industry or enforced by building code requirements. Knowing the number of spaces you need to fit into the parking area will help you see whether you have room for other parking lot amenities that are less essential, such as two-way barrier gates, which can require a sizeable space. Try not to compromise on the number of slots you need or the right dimensions for those slots.
  
  

• Determine parking slot size: You must consider the reason people will be using the parking space when determining the size of each space. For instance, if you're designing the parking for a grocery store, you might need to provide wider spaces for people carrying groceries. Nine by 19 feet is the standard size for public-use parking spaces. Not all spaces will be the same size, however, as some parking slots are reserved for particular purposes, like providing access for the disabled.
  
  
• Consider accessibility requirements: Account for extra space you'll need for van-accessible parking spaces, handicap parking spaces, walkways, ramps and curb structures. A parking lot needs to be accessible and safe for everyone who uses it. This requirement can include extra access aisles between spaces and the room for additional parking barriers.
  
  
• Other uses for extra space: Does your parking lot serve additional functions, such as offering a drive-through lane for customers or a truck-loading zone? For a school parking lot design, for example, perhaps there are special accommodations for buses and drop-offs. These are other considerations you should make when determining the appropriate size of your pavement.

Once you've made clear decisions about how the different areas of your parking lot need to be sized and spaced out, you can begin planning your layout and the flow of traffic within it.

3. Create a Flow: Parking Layout Design Guidelines

There are a variety of factors that go into the most functional parking lot design layout for your business. Most will have to do with directing traffic clearly and providing the right amount of space where needed to create a safe and optimized system. Remember to keep pedestrian traffic in mind as well, and think about the following:

• Space efficiency: For the most space-conscious parking slots, always opt for the 90 degree angled spaces. To further optimize space in the parking areas, consider creating a lot that is rectangular rather than an irregular shape. Another standard recommendation is to make the long sides of the parking lot parallel to each other, with parking spaces located along the perimeter of the lot. Finally, allow two-way traffic lanes to access parking stalls on either side of the driving aisle for the highest space efficiency.
  
  
• Traffic signage: In your parking lot design, provide helpful, lawful signage to protect right-of-way and pedestrians. Some useful traffic signs for parking lot safety include stop and yield signs, pedestrians crossing, reserved parking signs for handicapped and van-accessible spaces and speed limit markers. The placement of these signs should align with the flow of traffic that you design, visible to both drivers and pedestrians.
  
  
• Painted asphalt markings: Along with proper striping for your parking spaces, remember to have safety markings painted on the pavement to help with traffic flow. Markings specify which slots are intended for handicap use and where the access aisles lead. They can also be painted in stripes along the pavement to indicate pedestrian zones. These markings need to be stark and visible, painted with this waterborne and fast-drying traffic paint, for example.
  
  
• Concrete parking barriers: Wheelstop barriers along the front end of parking slots can help ensure that cars are situated safely within the spaces. Adequately placed barriers prevent vehicles from damaging landscaping or buildings that are adjacent to the parking lot. A concrete curb along the parking lot edge can function the same way for cars along the perimeter of the lot. These perimeter curbs with appropriate ramps should always be constructed around parking lots when possible.

Markers, signs and barriers all help create the boundaries to contain and define your parking lot layout. But more than just traffic-related elements, you can add other features to your parking lot to ensure its safe use.

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4. Design for Safety: Parking Lot Security Provisions

For the most reliable parking lot, traffic flow is the most important aspect you'll want to control, but it's not the only one. Pay close attention to the way your parking lot design addresses the following:

• Drainage provisions: To prevent damages to the underlying soil, the pavement itself prevents moisture from trickling through. Part of what makes asphalt so effective is precautions taken to provide proper water drainage. Avoid standing water on your asphalt through inlets and catch basins — along with other drainage methods — as part of your parking lot pavement design. The construction of these drainage provisions should be handled as early as possible. Parking area surfaces are usually designed to prevent accumulating water at the pavement edges, with a slope of two percent at minimum.
  
  
• Access ramps: Changes in elevation should be accounted for in your asphalt parking lot specifications, and proper safety measures should be taken to ensure that everyone who needs to access the lot can do so without risking harm. Ramps leading from the pedestrian access to the lot to the shared handicapped access aisles are crucial, for instance. Similarly, ramps that allow access from the pavement to the elevated sidewalks should be built into the perimeter curb design.
  
  
• Lighting design: For an entirely safe and operational commercial parking lot, light fixtures with excellent coverage are essential. In most circumstances, your lighting should provide adequate vision for comfortable travel through the parking lot, without causing glare or visual interference to areas and buildings adjacent to the property. Provide heavier lighting in the highly trafficked sections of the parking lot, such as entrances, exits and loading zones. To cause as little glare and light pollution as possible, use light fixtures that angle the stream of the light as close to zero degrees, or facing downward, as possible.

These safety precautions cannot be emphasized enough. Without proper drainage, access and lighting, the security of your parking lot will always be in jeopardy. Fortunately, you can incorporate these additions seamlessly into your parking lot design.

5. Take It Up a Notch: Other Design Elements to Consider

In addition to the construction-related safety measures listed above, your parking lot can have a variety of other features. They can beautify your parking lot or give it an air of professionalism while also serving a practical function.

• Landscaping design: Placing trees and other types of landscaping in or around your parking lot can work wonders for its visual effect, but it can also serve a variety of functions. For example, tree branches can shield neighboring buildings from the glare of parking lot lighting at night. All landscaping should be spaced out so as not to obstruct traffic and tended and trimmed regularly to ensure visibility is not compromised.
  
  

• Barrier gates: Among some of the higher-security features for parking lot pavement design, a barrier gate may be what enables your lot to be most effective in fulfilling its specific purpose. These gates permit only authorized individuals to park in a particular lot, using a card system to open for pre-approved people. These gates can be two-way, or they can be located at the entrance of the parking lot if you have a separate means to exit.
  
  
• Emergency call stations: On university campuses, for example, the need for security surveillance and quick access to the authorities is becoming more standard. When designing a parking lot for such an institution, incorporate emergency call boxes into your design, preferably in the well-lit sections of the parking lot.

Of course, the three features listed here are not the only design elements available to enhance your commercial parking lot. Depending, again, on the purpose of your parking facility and the standards of your industry, take as many options into consideration as you can. That way, you can create the best design possible for your lot — and keep it well-maintained over the long-term.

6. Design for the Long Run: Asphalt Maintenance Solutions

One of the most important aspects of your design is the provision of long-term care and maintenance. Parking lots can show some wear over time if not protected properly and regularly due to the consistent effects of Mother Nature. With the best care, however, there's nothing that a well-coated asphalt parking lot can't withstand.

To best guard your freshly designed parking lot from the effects of wind, water, ultraviolet rays and dripping oil, your asphalt will regularly require efficient and durable sealcoating and striping. In addition, if you notice any problematic areas, tending to them promptly is the most effective way to prevent further damages in the future.

Consider the following signs of wear and how to treat them effectively:

• Cracking: Even the slightest cracking can be a warning sign of greater damages ahead. Moisture and other harmful substances can enter the base layers of your asphalt through these cracks, leading to more severe damages.
• Discoloration: Although the pavement is a rich black after construction, it can fade into a gray or brown, which are both signs of the wearing effects of the sun. A change in color can also be due to spilled oil.
• Raveling: The asphalt binding agent has worn out, creating loose gravel or a sand-like substance.
• Potholes: When cracking becomes too deeply threaded beneath the surface of the pavement, over time, potholes can form.

When you inspect your asphalt and come across these concerns, consider the following solutions to refresh and maintain your pavement:

• Crack-filling: For one of the most cost-effective ways to preserve and prolong the life of pavement, consider having any visible cracks in your asphalt filled professionally. At D. B. Krieg, our materials and process guarantee a long-lasting seal, optimizing both the safety and long-term appearance of your pavement.
  
  
• Sealcoating: This process is a preventative one that can double the life of your pavement. With GemSeal®Sealers, we at D. B. Krieg can help weatherproof, sunproof and restore the beautiful appearance of your parking lot. Say goodbye to brittle, dry and cracked pavement surfaces!

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Preserving asphalt with sealcoating for the long haul has saved businesses so much money in repaving costs in the long run. By simply following the regular upkeep techniques of sealcoating and crack-filling as necessary, your parking lot design will have that brand-new freshness for years to come. Contact D. B. Krieg if you have questions or want more information!

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