Is Your Parking Lot ADA Compliant? Here Are 6 Criteria To Check!

Page 6 – Picketts Paving LLC
April 27, 2021 at 4:24 PM

Adding a parking lot to your commercial property can prove to be highly beneficial for your business. If your customers are not worried about the safety of their vehicle, they will have a better time at your establishment, which will lead to them returning. Similarly, employees will focus better on their work if they are not worrying about their cars. Also, a parking lot can increase your property value. While not having a parking lot can drive away potential customers who may be discouraged by the idea of looking for a parking spot nearby that is safe.

Now that we have established the benefits of having a parking lot, it will easier for you to understand the importance of getting it right, especially if you weigh in the hefty investment you made for parking lot paving. Making changes to the parking lot after it is completed is an unnecessary hassle, inconvenience, and expense. Thus, you need to ensure your design is as near perfect as possible, and this includes ADA compliance.

ADA compliance is not a choice, but a necessity as non-compliance can land you hefty fines and worse. Thus, to know if your parking lot is ADA compliant or not, check the designs for the following guidelines.

Accessible Parking Spaces:

As per ADA instructions regarding parking lots, the number of accessible spots should be directly proportional to its total capacity. They have defined three distinct categories.

• If your parking lot has a total capacity of 500 or below, you need one accessibility parking spot for every 25 regular parking spaces.
• If your parking lot has a total capacity between 501 to 1000 parking spaces, you need to have precisely 2% accessibility spots.
• If you have a parking lot with more than 1000 parking spaces, you need to have 20 accessibility parking spots and one additional accessibility spot for every 100 regular spaces.

Also, during the design phase, keep in mind that accessibility spots need to be eight feet wide.

Van-accessible Parking:

ADA guidelines dictate that one out of every six accessible parking spaces needs to be van-accessible to make it easier for people with walkers and wheelchairs. So, if you have a parking lot with a total capacity of 400, it needs to accommodate eight accessibility spots and two van-accessible spaces.

When it comes to van-accessible spots, the guidelines also state that a van-accessible spot can be eleven feet or eight feet wide, depending on the adjacent access aisle.

Access Aisles:

If your van-accessible parking space is 11 feet wide, your access aisle needs to be 5 feet wide. And if your van-accessible space is eight feet wide, then your access aisle also needs to be eight feet wide.

An access aisle can be shared by two accessible spaces, as far as the area is wide enough for a vehicle-mounted wheelchair lift to be deployed.

Signage:

ADA guidelines cover line striping, pavement markings, and signage so drivers can easily identify accessibility parking spaces, exits, and more. For example, a van-accessible spot needs to have a sign accompanying it, so drivers do not mistake it for a regular parking space.

Furthermore, all signs need to be placed at a specific height. The base of the signs need to be over five feet above the ground, so drivers and pedestrians can easily see them.

Accessible Passenger Loading Zones:

Mechanical access parking garages and valet parking facilities need to have an accessible passenger loading zone and a specific number of accessibility spaces.

Walkways:

All direct pedestrian connections linking the lot to the main facility need to be accessible so people with wheelchairs and walkers can easily and safely move around.

To avoid missing out on any essential ADA guidelines, hire a professional paving contractor to see to your parking lot paving.

Pickett’s Paving LLC offers expert parking lot construction and maintenance solutions in Wisconsin with the guarantee of full ADA compliance. Contact us for more information about our personalized asphalt paving solutions.

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