Three Reasons to Install Parking Curbs

While parking curbs may not be appropriate for every parking facility, they are becoming more and more common, and more cost-effective. When considering if your parking area is suitable for, or requires the use of parking curbs, there are three major factors to consider.

Vehicles – One of the most common reasons to consider the installation of parking curbs in any parking facility is of course, the vehicles that will be parking there. Although the design of your parking area may be different, most facilities have a large, open area for parking. Normally, lines are painted on the ground or pavement to designate a specific area for each vehicle. Most times vehicles will park one directly aligned with another.

While painting lines is great a great way to indicate each parking space, it cannot stop one vehicle from pulling to far into the next space and damaging the car in the next space.

Parking curbs eliminate this problem. A wheel stop is a physical barrier between one car and the next. So it’s virtually impossible for one car to move too far into the next space. This helps eliminate damages to other vehicles.

Structures – Similar to the way one vehicle can damage the next, a vehicle can also damage a building, fence or other structure one the property. Using wheel curbs is a great way to put some distance between the car and the building. Drivers can no longer pull into a store front window. Exterior walls will no longer see scratches and dings from bumpers, and fencing will no longer be torn down or damaged from a driver backing too far into the space.

Pedestrians – Perhaps one of the most important reasons to install parking curbs, or traffic control of any kind is for the safety of pedestrians. Without the use of curbs, drivers feel compelled to drive across the middle of parking areas and avoid the lanes designated for vehicle travel. This creates a hazardous environment where a pedestrian simply making their way to their vehicle can be put in harm’s way.

Adding parking curbs to any open areas prevents drivers from leaving the designated travel areas and keeps them away from pedestrians.

Although there are quite a few more reasons why curbs or wheel stops should be used in any parking facility, these are three very important things to consider when designing any parking area.