It’s the right and the legal obligation to make your parking lots disability friendly here in Vancouver, BC. Here are 5 tips that will certainly make the whole process successful.
Making sure that your parking facility is accessible to everyone, especially to people with a disability, is a no-brainer. First and foremost, the law is very clear: you need to make your lots disability-friendly if you provide parking services to the public. Oftentimes that means that you have to add designated disabled parking zones to cater to motorists with disabilities.
In this post, we are going to provide you with handy tips on how to transform your parking lots into a haven for disabled customers.
Why Make your Parking Lots Disability Friendly?
Comply with accessibility regulations and laws - Parking lots are considered part of your property. And, if you give access to the public, the law says that you have to make it accessible to persons with disabilities. After all, the last thing you want is to be sued for non-compliance with disability laws.
It’s the right and ethical thing to do - Not making your parking facility friendly to persons with a disability is against every human grain. It amounts to downright discrimination.
Attract more customers - Whether you run a parking facility as a business or part of your commercial building, it’s important to cater to all customers, including those with disabilities. Given that there are more than 2.8 million Canadians with mobility disabilities, creating an enabling environment for them will certainly do wonders for your business. It’ll help you increase foot traffic, boost sales, and take your business to the next level.
5 Tips for Making your Parking Lots More Disability Friendly
1. Make Sure You Have Enough Designated Disabled Parking Spaces
Canadian Survey on Disability (CSD) estimates that people with disability account for a whopping 22 percent of the entire population. That’s why it makes great sense to introduce plenty of designated disabled parking zones within your facility. These are spaces specially designed for disabled customers. They must be of a required size, meet Vancouver, BC accessibility standards, and be clearly marked.
2. Create Accessible Access Aisles
There should be additional space to the left or to the right of the disabled parking space. These spaces will serve as access aisles for persons using electric scooters, wheelchairs and other types of mobility equipment. This way, they can easily and conveniently get out and into their vehicles using car ramps.
3. Include Disabled Signage
Handicapped parking zones should be clearly designated with a sign (preferably the internationally recognized symbol of disability) and painted in the actual parking stall itself. This sign should be installed in front of every disabled parking space. More importantly, it should stand tall enough not to be obstructed by a car parking in the lot.
4. Maintain your Parking Lots Regularly
Potholes, cracks, faded pavement markings, and other signs of wear and tear can do harm to your disabled parkers. Avoid potential lawsuits that can potentially occur to tripping hazards or improperly marked areas such as ramps and stairs. That’s why you need to hire a top-notch company like Manta Parking Maintenance to take care of everything and get your facility up to scratch in terms of disability friendliness.
5. Your Parking Lots Should Be Clearly Marked
Stay on top of your parking lot line painting. The handicap sign should be painted clearly on every designated disabled parking space. This is an area where Manta Parking Maintenance can also help. Is your parking lot currently lacking appropriate Disability parking? Give Manta Parking Maintenance a call today and we can help you redesign your lot.