When it comes to car park management, size sometimes does matter, especially when you have parking space dimensions to consider. Vehicles like the Tesla Model S, BMW 7 Series, and Range Rovers are becoming increasingly common on UK roads, but there’s one problem.
Parking spaces were never designed to accommodate them.
It’s only a matter of time before local authorities, property managers, and car park owners start to see issues arise in everything from access and safety to enforcement and profit.
The growing problem of oversized vehicles in undersized bays
According to a recent GB News report, five local councils have already taken action by implementing a length restriction for cars over 5 metres long due to increased problems caused by their size.
These seven popular car models could all face hefty fines for parking in council car park spaces — all because they cannot safely fit within the standard parking space size in the UK:
- Mercedes-Benz S-Class
- Tesla Model S
- BMW 7 Series
- Range Rover Long Wheelbase
- Audi A8
- Kia EV9
- Rolls-Royce Cullinan
The local councils currently enforcing these rules include Wokingham, South Hampshire, Broadland, South Suffolk, and West Devon. However, this list is likely to expand soon.
What is the car parking space size in the UK?
Guidance from the British Parking Association states that the standard UK parking space size is 2.4 metres wide by 2.8 metres long.
For some context, these dimensions were established in the 1970s, when super-sized vehicles were barely a concept. Fast forward to nowadays, the average new car is around 10% longer and 16% wider than those original seventies models.
What issues can oversized cars cause?
When a typical modern day vehicle can’t fit into the standard UK bay size, it opens doors to a whole host of issues for drivers and car park managers, including:
- Straddling of bays
- Obstructed access for neighbouring drivers
- Blocked walkways, cycle paths, and pedestrian routes
- Increased driver disputes
- Increased enforcement challenges over Penalty Charge Notices (PCNs)
- Damage to surrounding vehicles
These problems can cause a logistical nightmare for car parks, especially when accessibility, efficiency, and customer satisfaction are the difference between achieving a return on investment (ROI) or not.
Why should car park managers expect an increase in enforcement issues?
Unfortunately, car park managers and local authorities face a tough dilemma. For example:
- A driver parks their oversized vehicle in a designated bay.
- Their vehicle is too long and is subsequently parked outside of the bay markings.
- The car park issues a PCN because of this.
- The driver appeals because their car does not fit, and larger bays were not available.
You can see the grey area that this causes, which would potentially lead to lengthy appeal processes, customer complaints, a loss of reputation, and — subsequently — a loss of revenue.
The big question: Who’s at fault?
In all honesty, the fault lies in the outdated car park infrastructure. The standard parking space size in the UK hasn’t been updated to reflect the average size of its vehicles, resulting in ongoing issues.
Because of this, car park operators may suffer with:
- Reduced turnover due to fewer suitable spaces for oversized vehicle parking.
- Increased customer dissatisfaction.
- Reputational damage.
- Increased costs from signage, re-painting, and new layouts.
How can car park managers stay one step ahead of the issue?
At Parking Patrol, we’ve been helping car parks adapt to vehicle demands for over 15 years. Whether you’re the manager of a car park at an airport, events venue, supermarket, or hospital, you can rest assured that we’re well-equipped to support a variety of commercial sectors.
In this time, we’ve also developed the most effective car park management services to support car park owners, local councils, and property managers across the UK.
With our specialists by your side, we can future-proof your car park with:
ANPR systems
Our reliable ANPR parking systems can automatically detect and log any instances of misparking in your facility, as well as overstays and access violations.
These clever systems also make it easier to identify trends in car park space usage, peak operation times, and vehicle size challenges. This will offer you valuable data that you can use to guide your future planning when restructuring layouts, adjusting capacity limits, and more.
If ANPR isn’t suitable for your car park, we can also arrange for one of our trained car parking warden teams to act as a visible deterrent and enforce the rules on a fair and consistent basis.
Updated bay marking and signage
With our tailored parking solutions, our team can assess your current car park layout and help you put updated parking space dimensions in place. Our team can do this by:
- Widening your bays to fit larger cars
- Add in dedicated ‘oversized vehicle zones’
- Install clear and enforceable signage
Explore your options and increase your car park’s efficiency with Parking Patrol
As specialists in bespoke car park management, we can help you create a sustainable car park, regardless of your current size or structural limitations. Take a look at the areas we cover across the UK — if you don’t see your area listed, please still enquire, as we offer our services nationwide.
If you’d like to explore the different car park management services we have available, don’t hesitate to contact our team today on 03707 203 807. We’ll be more than happy to discuss the best and most efficient solution for your facility.
