If you find the article helpful, please share it to let others know the answers to these questions, especially those individuals or businesses looking to install car park line markings in their car parks. They can ensure they follow the rules and get the layout right.

  1. What is the standard size of a public parking space?

    In the UK, the size of a parking space for standard vehicles as set out by the Car Park Line Marking Regulations, is 2.4m by 4.8m, with an allowance of around 6m manoeuvring space. Although the 6m allowance for manoeuvring isn’t set in stone, the car parking space must allow reasonable manoeuvring space for most cars and small vans.

  2. How big do disabled spaces need to be?

    When it comes to disabled parking line marking, the Disabled Persons Transport Committee states that spaces must be 6.6m long and 2.7 metres wide. However, if the car parking line marking is in the centre of the carriageway, it must be at least 3m wide, unless the overall width of the carriageway doesn’t allow for it.

  3. How do disabled spaces need to be marked out?

    As mentioned above, spaces allocated for disabled badge holders must be 6.6m by 2.7m, and they must also be marked out in yellow lines, and contain a wheelchair graphic.

    It’s also important to note, that when designing the layout for a car park, 6% of the space must be allocated for the use of disabled badge holders.

  4. What are car park line markings made from?

    Modern car park line marking, or car park line painting is carried out using thermoplastic, an application that provides a whole range of benefits, including:

    • Ultra-hardwearing properties: Because thermoplastic is a polymer material, it’s extremely pliable and rubber-like, therefore resistant to constant traffic. Also, because it’s heat-applied, thermoplastic bonds tightly to the road surface.

    • Reflective properties: Another key reason thermoplastic car park marking is so frequently used, is it contains tiny (harmless) glass beads, which give it a reflective quality when hit by the light from headlights or lampposts.

    • Quick-drying properties: Once installed, thermoplastic line marking can take as little as 10 minutes to harden and to be ready for use, a quality that helps significantly reduce downtime when line marking in busy car parks.

  5. What regulations apply in private car parks?

    Although the size of each car parking space isn’t enforced in the same way public car parking spaces are, private car parks, such as in supermarkets or gyms, do have to provide line markings and signs that state:

    • Who the car park is for

    • How long visitors are allowed to park

    • Which permits are required (if any)

    • The charges and fines that could be imposed if the rules are broken.

Contact Us

If you’re looking for a professional car park line marking company to install your car park markings, contact City Road Markings today. We’re one of the UK’s leading experts in all types of line marking, for customers in the public and private sectors.