Parking lot islands & their relation to safety

[Vlaude]

I am looking for any studies on parking lot design, specifically to how parking islands improve safety (help to minimize auto accidents and/or auto-pedestrian accidents).

Thanks!

[Raf]

I am looking for any studies on parking lot design, specifically to how parking islands improve safety (help to minimize auto accidents and/or auto-pedestrian accidents).

Thanks!

They don't. Simply are there for visual and aesthetics. Reduction of speed and auto/ped collisions is a function of parking lot design (i.e. width of drive isles) and clearly labeled and delinted pedestrian paths of travel.

[DetroitPlanner]

I concur with RAF. Not much in the way of crash reduction factors parking lot islands.

[Seana]

New York City Government "Design Standards for Commercial & Community Facility Parking Lots":
http://www.nyc.gov/html/dcp/pdf/park...ot_present.pdf

The islands, many of which have trees, DO improve the safety, though indirectly and not easily measured. A few (probably obvious) instances:

- Pedestrians are much less likely to walk between adjacent rows of cars because walking on/around the foliaged islands is a nuisance.

- In the case study summary (last pdf page), there's an average 9.85% parking permeability increase. NYC has quite a bit of precipitation throughout the year; less "slick" parking lots = improved safety.

- Average tree canopy coverage is 16.15% (case study summary). An uncomfortably warm, perspiring driver in a "sun baked" car may be more likely to have "road rage"--or "parking lot rage," as the case may be. Uncomfortably hot passengers in a "sun-baked" car may be more likely to annoy/distract the driver.

[Vlaude]

Raf, I agree with the idea that it is a function of design. That said, parking islands are a major part of design. As Seana noted the islands can create safer paths for pedestrians. Proper design with islands or other form of a barrier (bio swell) can reduce speeds and better direct traffic. How many times have we seen a person cut across a sea of asphalt or concrete ignoring those painted lane lines? I've seen a couple accidents take place under that scenerio, where I don't think the individual would have jumped a curb, etc. Keeping the vehicle in the drive aisles and reduced speeds would seem to reduce accidents. That said I have no statistics that back up my logic. There are a lot of variables...

We had a discussion in a P&Z meeting and I was asked about studies related to parking islands and their correlation to safety/accident reduction.

Seana, thanks for the info. I actually reviewed that document when I was preparing portions of a landscape ordinance. The document has some good info related to design.

Thanks again everyone for the comments, if anyone comes across a study I'd be very interested in reading it.

[Whose Yur Planner]

Correct me if I'm wrong, but wasn't one of the justifications for parking lot islands was that they cut down on the heat island effect?