Parking Lot Layout Ideas

Single Row Parking Lot Layouts

Single row layouts for parking lots consist of an aisle along which cars drive with one set of parking spaces marked on one side of the aisle. The aisle may be one-way or two-way depending on space. The spaces are generally painted with two solid lines and evenly spaced to accommodate vehicles of a standard width and length. Spaces painted for compact cars should be labeled as such to alert drivers that many cars will be too long for that space. Parking spaces may be numbered, or if the parking lot is large the rows may be numbered to make navigating the lot easier.

Double row layouts are designed much like single row layouts with either a one-way or two-way aisle for traffic. Spaces are painted in even intervals and numbered or labeled to denote compact spots and locations. If the aisle is for two-way traffic, the width of the aisle must accommodate two rows of parking spaces, one along either side of the aisle, as well as the width of two full-sized vehicles driving up and down the aisle.

Angled parking lot layouts force the aisles to be one-way only. The parking spaces are evenly spaced but painted on an angle. This is particularly effective for parking lots with limited space as the angle makes parking and backing out of spots significantly easier and the drivers have to worry about only one direction of traffic as they back out of a spot. One or two rows of parking spots works well with angled rows; if using a single row, the angled spots are along one side of the aisle; if using a double row, the spots are angled along both sides of a one-way aisle, making it easy to pull into a spot on either side of the aisle while heading in that one direction. This does, however, present a loss of some space since the angled spots are not perfectly lined up with the edges of the lot.

Parking lot layouts with ample space can accommodate two-way traffic down aisles of parking spaces. If one-way aisles are used, however, care must be taken to adjust the layout so a car may enter, travel along every aisle and exit without getting stuck due to "one-way" signs on the aisles. Aisles are labeled with arrows showing the direction of traffic.