Start a parking business: A complete guide to design a car park

If you think parking parallel is the hardest part relating to parking experience. Since the Proof of Parking Space Act is likely to be implemented, now more than ever, access to quality parking spots has become a very important need here in the Philippines especially in cities like Metro Manila, Cebu City, and Davao City.

Due to the presence of these facilities, nearby businesses can operate more seamlessly as it provides accessible parking space for customers and employers.

For the future and current owners of these parking lots themselves, it's also a very lucrative business with minimal upkeep. But that, however, depends on the type of system your parking lot is using and/or the kind of parking lot it is.

Design your car park right now to catch up with the trend

There are parking spaces for rent, where you rent them out like apartments to paying customers, there are facilities that provide regularly to overnight parking, there are some that are simply paved lots, and there are some really high-tech ones like the one in SM Megamall, which uses a mechanical, automated, parking lot system.

So, for those of you who are wanting to improve their current parking lot/building floor plan or if you’re just planning on starting out, here’s a short and summarized guide on parking lot design.

I. What purpose will your parking lot serve?

Is it going to be located within a business district like Ortigas CBD or Bonifacio Global City? Two high volume places that are home to large malls and hundreds of businesses?  Is it located in a less high-volume area? These are the factors that will determine several characteristics of your parking lot building plan or your parking lot floor plan.

The diagonal parking slots on the left and the 90-degree parking slots on the right

• Parking Space Angle: Here in the Philippines, the most common parking lot angle is ninety degrees. Compared to a lot with diagonal, or rather 45-degree to 60-degree parking, a 90-degree parking floor layout makes for easier entry and exit for a driver. This makes it suitable for a parking lot with a high turn-over rate like a mall. In comparison, a lot with 90-degree floor plans is more suitable for long term or overnight parking or parking spaces for rent.
• Parking Lot/Building Size: If you’re intending to put up parking to cater to a series of restaurants, it will certainly be a lot smaller than one intended for a mall, a university, or a series of office buildings. Note also that a good parking lot with very a high turn-over will have ample facilities like comfort rooms. If it’s a multi-story parking lot, it will most definitely need either an elevator or an escalator.

Places like malls would do better if they employed diagonal parking slots. But alas, straight parking maximizes space

• Pavement thickness: Larger, heavier vehicles like cargo trucks and buses will need a thick layer of asphalt and an even thicker layer of cement. This will make it able to withstand the weight of these kinds of vehicles daily. Also, consider that kind of soil and if any other characteristics like the possibility of liquefaction, sinkholes, etc.

II. Design a car park: Parking Lot/building floor plan

In other countries, there are parking lot dimensions that are followed depending on city laws, building types, etc. Here in the Philippines, the National Building Code of the Philippines (NBCP) and its Implementing Rules and Regulations states that the size of a parking slot should be 2.4 meters by 5.00 meters.

For buses and trucks, the minimum size of the parking meter should be 3.60 meters by 12.00 meters. There are, however, variances that can be observed with regards to the slot size of commercial parking lots especially with the ones in Metro Manila.

>>> Check out: The guide to paid parking and parking spaces for rent in Manila.

So, to clear up some of your questions about your future parking lot floor plan, here are some points that you should consider.

1. How many parking slots will it have and how large?

As we’ve said, the NBCP requires a minimum of 2.4 meters by 5.00 meters. From this, you should be able to account for the capacity of your parking lot floor plan. You should also take into account other amenities like parking barrier or whether your future clients will need larger parking slots and parking stoppers (parking curbs).

By the way, a typical parking stopper is sized at around 6 feet in length, 6 inches wide, and five inches tall. The dimensions and the materials used will also vary from cement to rubber.

Here's a cheaper but sturdier cement parking stopper with high visibility paint

And don't forget to have a parking cone to give direction to the driver. A cone can occupy nothing much, however, in some cases, it can violate the parking lots as well. So mark this in mind!

Parking cones are what give direction to drivers

And lastly, this will also determine the profitability of your parking lot business. Remember however that that survival of a parking lot business will depend on word of mouth and ratings on the Internet, so sacrificing things like bathrooms, pathways, and other important features to maximize your parking slots will only work against you. Heck, you can even throw in a snack-bar and we’re sure that’ll do nicely especially if there aren’t any convenience stores nearby.

Providing for long-term parking space rentals changes the parameters greatly

>>> Have you got used to "No Parking Signage" in the Philippines?

2. Design a car park: Accessibility

Before you begin drawing out your parking layout, you should also consider space for pedestrian walkways, parking ramps, wheel-chair ramps, how many parking spaces you should allot? Will there be businesses requiring a drive-through? Will your parking lot be serving vans?

Trucks? Buses even? Is it actually accessible to the road, including public transport? These are just some of the things you should remember in coming up with the final size of your parking lot and of course, the thickness of your pavement.

In some cases, parking tiles should be paid attention to cause it can be extremely dangerous for drivers who barely see things in poor light conditions. Of course, you should equip your place with parking lights which lighten up the tiles and other stuff. Make sure that the tiles are shiny enough to catch the lights and it can prevent scratches at any cost.

If you're going to provide a handicap spot, then you should also provide for an access ramp

Besides, don't be late to have space for a parking mirror if you have many floors for vehicles to park. This might not take up much space, however, it can be a barrier when some big-sized cars go to corners and curves. The rears can damage the other cars and even accidents can happen if you are not really careful to foresee the situations.

Parking mirrors are necessary for vehicles and driver's safety

3. Other considerations

While accessibility for both cars and pedestrians are well and good, a good parking business is also a secure facility. You should be hiring parking attendants as well as security guards and security cameras. If your parking system is automatic though, you can make do with less staff.

Besides, if you want to develop your own parking business, you should have a notification for parking cashier hiring. A cashier is the one can calculate the fee for each car turn while taking good care of your overall income.

While accessibility for both cars and pedestrians are well and good, a good parking business is also a secure facility

However, the human cannot cover everything. We should have the technology to help human sources to somehow control and manage the tasks for you. This can be done in combination with a parking guidance system. If you have the resources, it can potentially improve the cost efficiency of your business.

The system can function in a number of ways such as parking signages that are controlled by a computer via wireless networks. Parking guidance systems (PGS) can also come in three kinds, an urban PGS which is suitable for on-street parking, an outdoor PGS for the typical outdoor parking lot, and an indoor PGS.

Parking guidance systems will tell you where to go and whether a slot is vacant or not

III. Car parking systems

A car parking system, or parking lift in the Philippines as we usually call it, is a machine that maximizes a parking lot or parking building’s capacity. These either use hydraulic pumps or electric motors for power.

Similar to a baggage or parcel handling system, it works by moving vehicles from a designated entrance into a storage area. A car parking system can be configured to move cars horizontally or vertically but either way, this system will require a smaller facility for parking. In large cities like Tokyo, most car parks with a parking system will have a vertical set-up to save on space.

Car parking systems can also be automated or traditional but automated parking systems require less space and despite its initial cost, it's actually more cost-effective than traditional parking garages. It also removes the headache of actually driving a lot while looking for a vacant slot, reduces emissions, and it saves time.

There are also disadvantages when it comes to employing car parking systems that you have to consider. First, it needs maintenance and service due to its moving parts. Also, the system itself can be a pricey investment.

>>> Related post: 6 handy tips to find your car in a parking lot in PH

The one in SM Megamall is currently the largest automated parking facility in the country right now

Did this guide help you envision your future parking lot business or do you have more questions than when before? Regardless of the two, either way, is good. The latter means you’re all ready for the next step and the former means our article got you into thinking.

For more tips and advice about cars, safe-driving and car maintenance, keep reading here on Philkotse.com.