Many disabled people rely on cars for getting about. Whether they drive themselves or ride with someone else, the ease with which they can reach their destination is almost always determined by where the car can be parked. Parking bays for disabled people should be conveniently located and clearly signed. Any parking control equipment should be positioned so that it can be operated conveniently by disabled people, some of whom will be in wheelchairs.
This leaflet gives advice to local authorities and car park owners and operators. It is intended to help them in providing for those with all types of mobility difficulty who wish to park on and off the street. Much of the detailed advice is drawn from publications by the Department of Transport, the Institution of Highways and Transportation, the Automobile Association and others, updated as necessary. Details of the Orange Badge scheme are not covered here, but can be found in DOT's leaflet "The Orange Badge Scheme", and for sites in London in the leaflet "Information for Orange Badge Holders" issued by the Parking Committee for London.
Parking for Disabled People
As pedestrians, many disabled people will have a limited mobility range, and will require specially designated parking bays closer to the places they wish to visit. Whether on-street or off-street, parking bays for disabled people should not be further from major destinations (e.g. bank, post office, large store, supermarket) than shown in Table 1:
|
Disability |
Distance (metres) |
|
Visually Impaired |
150 |
|
Wheelchair users |
150 |
|
Ambulatory without walking aid |
100 |
|
Stick users |
50 |
In multi-storey car parks, bays should be located on the level(s) at which the main pedestrian access points connect to major destinations. These include town centre pedestrian ways, large stores and shopping malls. The bays themselves and the main pedestrian access ways to them should all be well lit. Heavy or stiffly sprung doors should not be used.
A number of towns are introducing park-and-ride services to improve access to their town centres. Wherever possible they should cater for disabled people. Specially marked bays for disabled people should have easy access to the interchange with the "ride" element of the journey. Distances to the bus stopping area should not be greater than those shown in Table 1. If the buses are not wheelchair accessible, this should be clearly advertised.
Location of parking bays
Designated bays can be provided on the highway or in off-street parks operated by local authorities under section 6 (with respect to free on-street bays in London), 32 and 35(1) of the Road Traffic Regulation Act 1984. They are fully enforceable by law and appropriate signs should be provided to indicate that parking by other vehicles is prohibited. In privately operated car parks, where bays are not backed by an order, every effort should be made to ensure specially marked bays are used only by those displaying the appropriate permit.
The arrangements relating to parking boxes for holders of disabled people's permits on London's Priority (Red) Routes are described in general terms in the Traffic Director for London's Network Plan.
A guide to the number of bays which should be provided in off-street parks is shown in Table 2; further details are available in "Reducing Mobility Handicaps".
|
Car Park Used For: |
Car Park Size |
|
|
Up to 200 Bays |
Over 200 Bays |
|
|
Employees and visitors to business premises |
Individual bays for each disabled employee plus 2 bays or 5% of total capacity whichever is greater |
6 bays plus 2% of total capacity |
|
Shopping, recreation and leisure |
3 bays or 6% of total capacity whichever is greater |
4 bays plus 4% of total capacity |
Parking Leaflet
Parking bays for disabled people should be designed so that drivers and passengers, either of whom may be disabled, can get in and out of the car easily and safely. Bays should be longer and wider than normal. They ensure easy access from the side and the rear for those with wheelchairs, and protect disabled people from moving traffic when they cannot get in or out of their car on the footway side of a bay on the highway.
Bays for disabled people may exceptionally be provided in the centre of the carriageway, but only if there is nowhere else within acceptable walking distance of an important facility (see Table 1). Where this is done, care should be taken to minimise the danger to disabled people from moving traffic. Bays provided in the centre of the carriageway must also be at least 6600mm long; they must be at least 3000mm wide but no wider than 4200mm (see TSRGD Diagram 1028.3).
Terminal Signs
On-Street Parking at an Angle to the Kerb
In pedestrianised streets which allow access by disabled people's vehicles, there will often be competing claims on limited road space, for example loading areas and bus stops. The positioning of parking bays will require careful planning. All entry points should be clearly signed to deter other motorists (see also Local Transport Note 1/87).
If disabled people's vehicles are not allowed to enter a pedestrianised area, bays for disabled people's vehicles in neighbouring streets should not be further from major destinations (bank, supermarket, etc). than shown in Table 1. Resting places may be needed if the recommended criteria cannot be met.
The dimensions of off-street parking bays should provide a rectangle at least 4800mm long by 2400mm wide for the vehicle, along with additional space as follows:
(a) where the bays are marked parallel to the access aisle and access is available from the side, an extra length of at least 1800mm (Figure 3), or
(b) where the bays are marked perpendicularly to the access aisle, an additional width of at least 1200mm along each side. Where bays are adjacent, space can be saved by using the 1200mm "side" area to serve the bays on both sides (Figure 4).
Parking Bay signs
Parking bay signs (2)
Pedestrian routes to and from car parks with bays for disabled people should be free from steps, bollards and steep slopes which many disabled people find difficult to negotiate.
Where steps are necessary, they should have edges with a strong colour contrast and be well lit. Pedestrian ramps should also be provided; they should be short, preferably with gradients no steeper than 5% but in any case should not exceed 8%. These gradients also apply to any sloping pathways in the car park. Handrails should be provided on both sides of ramps and steps. Further details are available in "Reducing Mobility Handicaps".
Where the vertical distance is too great for a ramp, lifts may be used but they must have automatic doors. Access ways should be wide enough for all lift users and seats should be provided close to lift entrances for those who are unable to stand for long periods. Waiting areas should be well lit. It is essential that lifts are well maintained and reliable. More details about lifts and associated facilities are set out in "Accessible Public Transport Infrastructure" published by DOT.
Flush with the road surface ease access to footways from parking areas. Their location should protect the interests of blind and partially sighted pedestrians; for example, dropped kerbs should not line up with entrance to buildings visited by the public.
Provided drainage is not compromised, crossfall should not be steeper than 2.5% to aid off-loading of wheelchair at the side and rear of vehicles
On-street or off-street parking bays for disabled people may be indicated on directional signs and services signs. The white wheelchair symbol in a black square as shown in TSRGD Diagram 2113 should be used; an example is shown at Figure 5.
If space allows, the white 'P' symbol in a blue square (TSRGD Diagram 2113.1) should also be used.
At car park entrances, clear signing should show that bays are provided for disabled people. Some types of variable message sign may be able to show whether bays for disabled people are available. Signs should also show details of time limits which my apply to disabled people, the method of payment, and the tariffs for disabled people, including a zero charge if applicable.
Visual intrusion can be caused by too many signs, especially in pedestrian areas. Overloading signs with too much information should be balanced with the need to clearly indicate the car parks where bays are provided for disabled people. Where names of car parks are shown approximate distances should be included. Posts carrying signs should be located so that they are not dangerous to blind and partially sighted people.
Designated parking area signs
Except on those lengths of road subject to Priority (Red) Route controls in London, signs at on-street bays should comply with TSRGD. The sign to Diagram 661 (Figure 6) has been retained from the previous TSRGD (1981). For Wales, a bilingual form of this sign appears in "Traffic Signs (Welsh and English Language Provisions) Regulations and General Directions". The road markings previously prescribed in TSRGD (1981) to diagrams 1028.1 and 1033 have been modified to permit wider bays so that disabled people can get in and out of their cars more easily. For bays designated on or after 12 August 1994, road markings must conform to TSRGD Diagrams 1028.3 (Figure 1) and 1033 (Figure 2), and signs to Diagram 661 must be used in conjunction with these road markings.
Disabled badge
Advisory bays are not backed by an Order, but can offer some flexibility for faster implementation where competition for parking space is comparatively low and there are no other parking restrictions. On the other hand they cannot be enforced and reduce respect for reserved parking bays. The Department of Transport does not recommend advisory bays and they are not included in TSRGD.
On Priority (Red) Routes in London, signs and associated road markings at dedicated places for Orange Badge Holders on those lengths of road subject to Priority (Red) Route controls may currently only be used with the agreement of the Traffic Director for London. Examples of two of the signs are shown in Figures 7 and 8.
Red route road signs
Orange badge holders may park in any of the red or white parking boxes for an unlimited stay during the period indicated by the sign adjacent to the box.
Red route parking
Parking box
The Traffic Signs Regulations and General Directions, 1994. SI No. 1519, HMSO, £24.50p Road Traffic Regulation Act 1984
Bays should be marked with yellow lines and a yellow wheelchair symbol within the space. Access areas between parking bays should be hatched in yellow (Figure 4).
To aid compliance, confirmatory signs should be displayed on adjacent walls or on posts erected specifically for the purpose. Such signs are not classed as traffic signs and need not therefore comply with TSRGD.
Signs inside the car park should indicate the most convenient way to the main civic, business, shopping and recreational areas. Approximate distances should also be shown.
Parking bays
Disabled parking road sign
For most disabled people holding permits, payment for parking will only apply in off-street car parks, but in some London Boroughs disabled people may be required to pay for parking on the street. Tariffs applying to disabled people should be made apparent, and instructions should be clear and easy to follow.
Parking control equipment should be placed at a suitable height for disabled people to see and use them. Tests undertaken for the Automobile Association, and published in a report "Mobility for All", show that a suitable height for coin slots, controls, displays and instructions is between 1000mm and 1400mm above the surrounding ground. The "surrounding ground" does not include any plinth on which the machine is mounted.
Parking meters, pay & display ticket machines, and barrier controls should be designed and installed according to specifications set out in the appropriate Part of British Standard BS6571:1989.
Pay and display machine
The British Standard for clockwork parking meters (BS6571:Part 1:1989) requires that coin slots are located between 1100mm and 1300mm above the surrounding ground level.
The Standard for electrically powered parking meters (BS6571:Part 2:1989) requires that all variable displays, slots for coins or tokens, and external controls are located between 1000mm and 1400mm above the surrounding ground.
Where possible, plates showing tariffs and instructions should be fixed to the meter on the same side as the coin slot.
Parking meter
Installed to the specification in BS6571:Part 3:1989 should have slots for coins, tokens and cashless devices within the range 1000mm-1400mm. Variable displays and instruction plates would have to be lower than the maximum height allowed by the Standard (1700mm for variable displays and 1800mm for instruction plates) in order to be clearly visible by people in wheelchairs.
Where machines do not issue an individual ticket, it is sometimes difficult for disabled people to separate their ticket from the ticket roll. Local authorities should ensure that machines are installed and maintained so as to ensure that tickets can be separated as specified by the BS6571:Part 3:1989.
Pay and display machine
The Standard also requires that plinths do not protrude more than 200mm from the front face of the machine; the operator will thus be on the lower level surrounding the plinth.
Manual controls, the coin entry slot, and the ticket issue on barrier control units should be between 1000mm and 1300mm above the ground, as required by BS6571:Part 4:1989. Instruction plates should be placed at the lower end of the range (1000mm to 1600mm above the ground) required by the Standard.
Barrier controls
Many disabled drivers find barrier control units difficult to reach. Where flat-rate tariffs apply and security is sufficiently good, coin bins similar to those which operate barriers at highway toll booths or river crossings may help. Control units operated by the insertion of the card should be located sufficiently close to the driver's window so that all drivers can reach the unit comfortably. Barrier control unit plinths should not protrude more than 200mm beyond the front face of the machine.
Similar considerations to those for pay and display ticket machines apply to the installation of pay-on-foot machines.
Where space is limited, on-street parking control equipment can obstruct the footway. Other forms of parking control, such as vouchers, may provide a suitable alternative.
On street parking
Department of Transport: "The Orange Badge Scheme", DOT
leaflet, London, March 1992
Parking Committee for London: "Information for Orange Badge
Holders", Parking Committee for London, 1994
Institution of Highways and Transportation : "Reducing
Mobility Handicaps", IHT, London, 1991
National Association of Shopmobility, Unit 35, Octagon
Shopping Centre, BURTON-ON-TRENT, Staffordshire, DE14
3TN
Traffic Director for London: "Network Plan", Traffic Director
for London, March 1993
"Traffic Signs Regulations and General Directions 1994": SPC
SI 1994 No. 1519, HMSO, London, 1994
Traffic Signs (Welsh and English Language Provisions)
Regulations and General Directions 1985: SI 1985 No 713
Department of Transport: "Getting the Right Balance", Local
Transport Note 1/87, DOT, London, 1987
P Barham, P Oxley & T Shaw: "Accessible Public Transport
Infrastructure", DOT, London, 1994
Automobile Association: "Mobility for All", AA, Basingstoke,
1992
Christopher Cheney
Room C10/16
2, Marsham Street
London SW1P 3EB
Tel: 0171-276-3577
Sue Sharp
Room S10/17
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London SW1P 3EB
Tel: 0171-276-5256
Bill Fisher
Industry Department
Roads Directorate
New St. Andrews House
Edinburgh, EH13 3TG
Tel: 0131-244-4121
Lionel Pollard
Phase 1, Government Buildings
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Llanishen
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Martin Low
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