Paid parking sign in 2021

December 5, 2019
Automobile law
Yulia Lobach

In this article we will look at parking lot markings.

For safe road traffic and economical use of parking areas and parking lots, correct and competent markings in the parking lot are necessary.

Today, any trip for every car enthusiast turns into an adventure in finding a free parking space. The situation with parking is most difficult in the historical centers of large cities and in the courtyards of old buildings, where the urban plan does not provide space for the number of cars that there are today.

The dimensions of parking lot markings are regulated by GOST (51256-2011). If a citizen knows such information, it will be easier for him to defend his own rights if, for example, a car was hit and dented in a parking lot due to a narrow passage.

The concept of parking - what is it?

A park is usually understood as a designated area that must have a fence, an appropriate road sign and markings. Car spaces are provided free of charge, for example, in parking lots located near public places, or for a fee if the parking is municipal or private. Municipal parking lots usually use the Parkon automated parking system.

To assign an area the official status of a parking lot, it must be registered and formalized in accordance with all legal requirements. Currently, the parameters of parking areas are regulated by SNiP 113.133330.2016 with the title “Car Parking”.

We will explain below what types of parking markings there are.

How can I pay

Payment for the service is carried out in one of the following ways:

Through a special terminal. This can be done using a scratch card or bank card purchased in advance from a mobile operator. One of them is inserted into the device, select the “Pay” option, enter the parking time, parking number, and other requested data.
By sending an SMS to number 7757. It must contain vehicle data, parking time, and parking information. The money will be withdrawn from the phone. The stay time can be extended by sending an additional message, for example, “x1” (for 1 hour). Before leaving the place ahead of schedule, you should send an SMS with the letter “S”. The rest of the money will be returned to the owner.
Through an application installed on the phone. You need to register on the city parking website and deposit funds into your account. When entering a paid parking lot, you should log into your account in the application and use the “Park” option. From this moment the countdown for the provision of the service will begin. When leaving, you need to use the “Leave” option.

Locations of parking areas

The location of the parking area and markings depends on many factors:

Size (number of parking spaces).
Distance from public places and environmental sites.

Any parking lot must be safe, and the list of potential threats from parking areas, even if they are located outdoors, is quite extensive: exhaust fumes, gasoline leaks, road accidents, fires.

If we think from the other side - from the point of view of the car owner, then the most convenient parking is the one that is located closest to the required place. Usually, no one wants to walk an extra distance to a hospital, shopping mall, office or any other public place.

The distance at which parking markings should be located from urban planning objects is regulated by SNiP “Car Parking”.

If a car park can accommodate 10 or fewer cars, it must be located 10 meters from public buildings and residential buildings. Such car parking should be at least 25 meters away from public gardens, city parks, playgrounds and sports grounds, hospitals, schools and kindergartens.

Parking lots accommodating 10-50 cars should be located at a distance of 15 meters from residential buildings whose walls have windows, and at a distance of 30 meters from hospitals, schools, kindergartens and other similar buildings.

Open parking areas accommodating up to 100 cars must be 25 meters away from residential buildings. They should be located at the same distance from various public institutions.

Large car parks with up to 300 parking spaces should be located:

at a distance of 35 meters from residential buildings with windows;
50 meters - from kindergartens, vocational schools, schools, and other children's institutions;
60 meters from recreational areas for citizens, sports grounds and stadiums, and medical institutions.

Car parks with a capacity of over 300 cars must be 50 meters away from residential buildings with windows. Other requirements for such parking areas do not change. As for huge parking lots that can accommodate 500 cars or more, they are recommended to be located exclusively in industrial zones.

SanPiN 2.1.4.1074 prohibits the placement of open parking areas in areas where water intake for domestic and drinking purposes occurs.

Dimensions of parking spaces in open parking lots

The size of a parking space for 1 car in a parking lot is easy to calculate if you know that the following parameters are the minimum:

The length of the parking space is 5.3 meters.
The width of the parking lot is 2.5 meters

Moreover, the width of the marking, which is 10 cm on each side, is not taken into account. That is, a parking space must have a minimum area of 13.25 square meters.

It is important that the standard length of a car is considered to be 4.4 meters, width - 1.8 meters.

At the discretion of the owners of the parking area, the size of the parking space may be increased. For example, parallel parking will be most comfortable if the length of one parking space is 8.8 meters, that is, equal to the length of 2 standard cars. In this case, the comfortable size of a parking space is considered to be the width of a standard car plus 1 meter, that is, 2.8 meters. This width of the parking space allows you to ensure the safety of the driver or his passenger getting out of the car.

If we talk about herringbone parking, then more space is needed. According to the standard, one such parking space must have an area of 18 square meters.

Parking spaces intended for parking cars for disabled people reach their maximum dimensions. Their width reaches 3.6 meters, and their length is 6.2 meters.

The law allows deviations from the specified dimensions, but such a deviation must be within 5 cm. Such dimensions are primarily due to fire safety measures. In addition, they help reduce the likelihood of accidents in parking areas.

What are the standards for parking lot markings?

Application in the parking lot

The parking area must be marked not only with special road signs, but also have special markings on the road surface.

The application of special markings is carried out by organizations that have the appropriate permission to carry out such activities. The markings are applied in accordance with what kind of parking will be equipped and for what vehicles.

How to apply markings so that it is correct? Application must be carried out in accordance with the regulations.

This:

1. it is necessary to make more correct calculations depending on where and what kind of transport will be parked; 2. the width of the passage space cannot be less than 6 m ; 3. for markings for disabled people, you need to use stencils and yellow paint; 4. The material for marking must be carefully selected, and it must be applied according to the following rules:

deviation from the planned lines cannot be more than 5 cm ;
if there was already a marking in this place before, then when applying a new one, the old marking line should not be visible;
It is advisable to carry out all application work in warm and dry weather. Recommended air temperature + 20°;
each line must be at least 10 cm wide;
You can use material that contains reflective particles only in rooms where there is little daylight;
if the coating was done with paint and varnish, then it needs to be renewed every six months ;
if reflective materials should be used near important objects in the parking lot (fire hydrants and crowns, fire extinguishers, etc.).

The owner of the parking area must adhere to all these rules.

Technical requirements for marking parking spaces

Technical requirements include not only the organization of the parking space as a whole, but the materials from which the fences are made and with which markings are applied:

If parking is located in the local area, then it must have clearly defined boundaries. To create its boundaries, a side stone should be used.
The pole or vertical support must have clear reflective markings. In particular, this paragraph applies to parking areas located in courtyards.
To apply markings to asphalt pavement, thermoplastic or nitro paint should be used. But practice shows that white water-based paint is often used for this purpose, which is washed off by precipitation in less than a season.

Is it possible to park on semicircular markings?

It is officially believed that parking a car where a semicircle is marked is prohibited . This is due to the fact that clause 12.4 of the traffic rules directly prohibits stopping and especially parking (parking) where the car will become an obstacle to other road users on the road, that is:

interferes with entry and exit to the adjacent territory;
obstructs the view of signs or traffic lights.

Therefore, a driver who parks a car in a semicircle often faces punishment. The semicircle in this situation acts as a designation of the end of the paid parking zone.

The traffic rules contain clause 1.2, which defines the adjacent territory and roadway. If there is a roadway intended for traffic in the adjacent territory, then, according to clause 12.4, parking on the road with an junction closer than 5 m from the edge of the intersection is prohibited . But if there is no roadway there, then formally parking in a semicircle will not be a violation. Moreover, in some places in Moscow the length of the semicircular zone can reach 10 m - which is much more than the size stipulated by the traffic regulations.

Unfortunately, as of 2021, this contradiction between the traffic rules has not yet been resolved - and the semicircular marking itself is not indicated in the Rules. Therefore, there are often situations when, in the same place, a car left in a semicircle will not be paid attention today, but tomorrow it will be taken to the impound lot. But at the same time, this often gives the driver the opportunity to appeal the fine imposed on him.

However, when choosing a parking place, you need to monitor whether the car is interfering with other drivers - and whether there are any prohibiting signs.

Disabled parking space

Let’s talk about the “Parking for disabled people without sign” markings.

In the modern world, many car owners have limited capabilities, that is, they are disabled. There are especially many who use a wheelchair. Special standards have been developed for citizens of this category. To begin with, the size of the parking space has been increased to 3.6 * 6.2 meters. This is necessary so that a person in a wheelchair can move unhindered between the car rows. In addition, parking spaces for disabled people should be located as close as possible to the entrance of the building.

Car spaces intended for disabled people occupy approximately 20% of the entire parking area. Typically, spaces for the disabled can be found in parking lots near hospitals, shops, shopping centers, residential complexes and other public buildings.

Placement of places for transport

It is beneficial for the owner of the parking area to accommodate as many vehicles as possible, especially if parking is paid.

Therefore, when drawing up a parking plan, you need to choose the most convenient and spacious arrangement of spaces.

There are several nuances to consider:

if the vehicles stand perpendicular to the road, this will not save space, but will allow any vehicle to drive on the roadway. This type of parking is optimal if there are small pockets or in the yard;
if vehicles are parked parallel to the roadway, this will also not save space;
Such parking is optimal only in those places where it is possible to go deeper from the roadway by more than 2 meters . So you can park your car along the road, but not near a public transport stop.
Herringbone parking allows you to park cars at an angle of 45° - 60° to each other and place the largest number of vehicles in the parking lot.

When choosing a car placement option, do not forget that there are strictly established dimensions of a parking space for a passenger car.