Accessible parking is one of many topics on the California Supplemental Exam for landscape architects. Van parking spaces can be particularly challenging to design. Here are some tips to help you design accessible van parking spaces that comply with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and California Division of State Architect regulations.
Design An Accessible Van Parking Space
Car and van parking spaces shall be 216 inches (18′) long minimum. Car parking spaces shall be 108 inches (9′) wide minimum and van parking spaces shall be 144 inches (12′) wide minimum, shall be marked to define the width, and shall have an adjacent access aisle.
Access Aisles
Accessible routes must connect parking spaces to accessible entrances. In parking facilities where the accessible route must cross vehicular traffic lanes, marked crossings enhance pedestrian safety, particularly for people using wheelchairs and other mobility aids. Where possible, it is preferable that the accessible route not pass behind parked vehicles.
Can Accessible Van Spaces Share An Access Isle?
Access aisles shall not overlap the vehicular way. Access aisles shall be permitted to be placed on either side of the parking space except for van parking spaces which shall have access aisles located on the passenger side of the parking spaces.
Accessible van parking spaces cannot share an access isle. Because vans with lifts usually have it mounted on the passenger side, it is not practical for van spaces to share the access isle. Therefore, each Van-accessible space needs its own isle.
Here is what the Department of Justice (DOJ) states:
Wheelchair lifts typically are installed on the passenger side of vans. Many drivers, especially those who operate vans, find it more difficult to back into parking spaces than to back out into comparatively unrestricted vehicular lanes. Where a van and car share an access aisle, the van space must be located with the access aisle on the passenger side of the van space.
The Bottom Line
One in six accessible parking spaces must be van accessible. Van-accessible parking sites need the access isle on the passenger side due to the wheelchair lift. And, van-accessible parking spaces cannot share an access isle with another van space, but they can share with a passenger car space.
For More Information
You can find out more information about accessible building standards in the 2013 CBC Advisory Manual for the California Division of State Architect.
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John is a landscape architect who is currently preparing to take the California Supplemental Exam to become licensed in California. He is currently a licensed professional landscape architect in Georgia and Florida. John graduated from California State University, Pomona with a BSLA degree in landscape architecture in 1997 and has extensive practice experience in residential and commercial landscape design.