Parking lots pose risks to cars, pedestrians and property as members, guests and volunteers can cause accidents and damage. Look at your Post’s parking lot  accessibility and structure to see if you make adjustments to prevent these accidents and make your Post a welcoming place for all.

Easy parking lot accessibility improvements

With a few minor changes, you can help reduce incidents in your Post’s parking lots.

  • Designate parking spaces—Mark specific spaces for members and volunteers. Leave extra space around dumpsters for sanitation workers.
  • Consider parking lot design—Your lot should have large aisles for cars to maneuver through. Drivers should also be able to back out of spots easily. Restripe parking lines, if necessary.
  • Add traffic signage— Provide helpful, lawful signage to protect right-of-way and pedestrians, like stop and yield signs, reserved parking signs for handicapped and van-accessible spaces and speed limit markers.
  • Add parking barriers—For customer parking, consider adding wheel stop barriers along the front end of parking slots to help ensure cars are parked safely within the spaces. These barriers can prevent vehicles from damaging landscaping or buildings.

Improving parking lot accessibility

In 2010, the ADA Standards for Accessible Design updated the requirements set by the original 1990 Americans with Disabilities Act for parking lots and access to public facilities.

While your Post is a non-profit and does not have to legally comply with ADA requirements, you can ensure your Post is a welcoming space for all your members, guests and volunteers by maintaining your parking facilities and making any changes as needed to comply with the latest ADA Standards.

  • Ensure your Post has at least the required minimum number of accessible parking spaces, which varies depending on the total number of parking spaces in the lot. For a facility with 1 to 25 spots, at least one must be accessible to cars and vans. Larger lots require more spaces.
  • Van-accessible spaces are required to offer a spot and access aisle that are each 96 inches wide, with vertical clearance of 96 inches.
  • Meet the minimum signage and pavement markings required to identify accessible parking spaces.
  • Accessible spots must have no more than a 2 percent pavement slope in any direction.
  • If your Post parking will be undergoing any planned alteration, plan to bring your parking into compliance with the latest regulation.

 

Parking lot accessibility and improvements are important for everyone at your Post. Strive to prevent incidents and improve accessibility by maintaining Post parking lots for all members, guests and volunteers.