Car Park Markings To Ensure Your School Car Park Is Safe For All

Author: Jess Sparks
Updated on: July 4, 2024

Whether you’re updating existing lines or installing car park markings for the first time, there are a number of regulations you need to follow. From legal requirements for disabled bays to the size of parking spaces, there’s plenty to check before you install any designs.

Road markings are so familiar, we forget their presence helps to prevent accidents and reduce congestion.

For car parks, clear markings can also assist you to create a welcoming, organised environment that’s safe and pleasurable to use. Car park markings can help to keep your entrance gates free from unwanted parked vehicles and give you the freedom to add personality to your outdoor space.

When you give it some thought, line markings do much more than we give them credit for.

We’re a leading supplier of car park markings to schools, nurseries, parks, and other organisations so we know a thing or two about rules and regulations for parking spaces in the UK.

To make things easier for you, we’ve put everything together in this quick and easy guide. In this article you’ll find all the answers you need to know to ensure your plans meet UK government requirements.

Here’s your ultimate guide to the rules and regulations for UK car park markings.

Parking Bays

When planning your new car park, each parking bay will need to measure at least 2.4m in width and 4.8m in height. Consider the most popular contemporary cars and these minimum dimensions leave little room for larger cars to manoeuvre.

With so many big jeeps, MPVs and people carriers in use, you’ll probably want to size your parking bays a little more generously than the minimum requirement.

Similarly, if your parking area is more compact and you plan to install parallel parking bays, you’ll need to allow extra length because parallel parking bays are harder to navigate.

For busy school sites and other educational settings, larger spaces for lorries and vans will also be necessary. You may also want to include parking bays for motorbikes plus safe storage facilities for bikes.

Communal parking bays for motorbikes should be positioned at right angles to the perimeter of the car park or kerb. Standard lengths for motorcycle parking bays range between 180 and 270 cm.

Safe Travel For All

Vehicles

The key consideration for any car park design is to remember easy and safe access for all is paramount.

Both vehicles and pedestrians should be able to travel through every part of the car park safely.

To enable vehicles to flow easily, roadways in between the parking bays should be a least 6m wide.

All car park markings should be simple to understand and clearly visible to both drivers and pedestrians. Their job is to keep everyone safe so superb visibility is essential. It is recommended that UK car parks use a one-way system for travel, with directions of travel clearly marked with arrows and signs.

Pedestrians

Pedestrian walkways should also be clear and simple to follow. Symbols and signs are helpful and routes to the areas such as the school office or kitchen should be easy to see.

You may want to use our footprint markings to highlight pedestrian routes. There are no rules for the colours you can use, and sometimes, making them bright and engaging will encourage more people to pay attention to them.

In fact, we can help you design a car park that creates a great first impression when children, visitors and other stakeholders arrive.

We use thermoplastic car park markings because they deliver the highest grade of performance. Lasting up to 10 times longer than traditional road paint, thermoplastic markings are highly resistant, non-slip and vibrant.

With thermoplastic car park lines in place, you can be sure your markings are clear and safe.

Thermoplastic gives us the freedom to create any type of custom design so you may wish to include a welcome sign or your school logo. Personalising the entrance to your car park is a great way to elevate the space and make your parking area easy to spot. More on custom markings

Disabled Parking Bays

The UK government requires 6% of any parking space to be designated for disabled parking.

Disabled parking bays should be at least 3.6 metres in width to ensure users can use wheelchairs with ease.

The bay itself needs to be at least 2.4m x 4.8m then an extra 1.2m needs to be added around one or both sides plus the back of the space to guarantee appropriate access for users. The additional 1.2m allocation is usually marked with cross hatched markings in yellow.

All disabled bays should be installed close to the school entrance which must be no more than 50m away.

The bay should be easy to spot so use wheelchair symbols or disabled only lettering, coloured line markings (usually yellow) and blue badge signs.

Disabled bays are a statutory requirement for all providers of services to the public. The law was set out in the 2010 Equality Act which stipulates that all public service providers must make reasonable adjustments to remove barriers which discriminate against disabled people.

No Parking Zones

You may want to use ‘School – Keep Clear’ road markings to ensure the area directly outside the main school entrance remains safe for children. Alternatively, you may decide to install yellow or red lines to prevent hazardous parking by parents and carers outside the school gates.

These are all important considerations to safeguard children as well as the wider school community from the hazards of dangerous parking. Talk to our expert team today about the best options for your school.

Double yellow lines or red lines (for some UK cities such as London) can also be used to prevent vehicles from waiting, stopping, or parking outside the school entrance. On the other hand, single yellow lines can be installed to prohibit parking or waiting during certain times.

Another consideration is use of parking zones. Controlled parking zones allow drivers to wait for specific durations, however, they are not allowed to park. Similarly, restricted parking zones have pre-determined allocation times for waiting and parking.

Allocated Parking

From important visitors to school staff, your car park will be a first point of contact for many stakeholders. You may want to consider including staff and visitor parking bays in your car park design so that staff and visitors can enjoy a stress-free arrival.

From general staff parking bays to designated spaces for senior staff and visitors, there are lots of different things you can do to save stakeholders time and worry. Our custom design service gives you the freedom to personalise designated parking spaces in any way you choose.

Surprised at how much you need to know? Don’t worry, we’re here to help. From parking bay sizes to access and disabled bays, we can help you ensure your car park design meets all requirements and is safe for all.

Our services include road marking removal, zebra crossings, give way signs and more. Talk to our friendly team today and get the best car park design for your school community.