Most commercial property owners have a parking lot with painted lines and pavement striping to guide drivers and pedestrians. Parking lot lines are crucial in helping drivers determine where and how to position their vehicles.
But do you know what those lines and markings on the asphalt mean?
Knowing the differences between the various striping and parking lot colours will ensure you navigate safely among other motorists and people.
Here’s everything you need to know about the different colours used for parking lot marking:
Types of Parking Lot Pavement Markings
As mentioned, parking lot markings guide drivers and help them identify what they mean. The paint colours used for creating the pavement lines often have specific meanings.
Let’s go over what those colours identify:
Yellow Paint
Yellow paint is the most common colour for striping a parking lot. Yellow markings are used to identify areas for loading and unloading passengers. They’re also used to space out parking for vehicles in a lot. The colour yellow ensures that lines are visible throughout the day.
White Paint
Whenever you see white pavement markings, they’re mostly used for marking crosswalks and stop lines. In addition, white paint can be seen on handicap ramps. So, why is white such a common colour for these specific pavement markings? It offers excellent visibility during rainy or cloudy days, as well as in the evening when the sun sets.
Red Paint
When you see red paint markings in a parking lot, it typically indicates a no parking zone, usually around emergency exits and designated fire lanes. Red is also used to identify areas for authorized use only and isn’t to be entered. Make sure you aren’t parking or stopping your vehicle anywhere near red curb striping. Those areas are meant to be free from traffic and can also ensure emergency vehicles have the clearance necessary, such as in fire lanes.
Blue Paint
The colour blue is often used to mark areas reserved for handicap-accessible spaces, ramps, and parking lot lines. The blue clearly signifies reserved parking spots for handicapped individuals, ensuring they have access to aisles and spaces close to the front of the business.
Property owners must always ensure handicapped parking is available at their location. These accessible spaces must be separate from other parking spots for the general public. A plate or tag must be in or on the vehicle to avoid being towed or ticketed.
White and Yellow
Sometimes white and yellow are used together to identify caution areas in commercial parking lots. You may often see them near utility holes or construction areas when projects are underway. The white and yellow combination can also be used for pedestrian walkways for customers and clients to find their way into your commercial building as safely as possible.
Green Paint
Green paint can be used for a variety of reasons. For example, green paint can indicate short-term parking spaces for pick-ups/drop-offs and curbside pickup/carry-out service. More recently, green has been an effective colour in signifying parking spots for drivers with electric cars. You may see green markings around charging stations where electric vehicles may enter.
These are the most common paint colours used by many businesses and commercial locations with designated parking spaces. Markings are useful in creating an effective and efficient system that allows vehicles and pedestrians to operate in a high-traffic area safely and securely.
It’s integral to remember that these aren’t universal colours. Each paint colour option can have its own meaning in different countries or cities. Make sure you’re up to speed on what each colour means in your location before you start curb-striping or marking your parking area.
Parking Lot Line Painting Services in Calgary
Understanding the various parking lot line painting options is important for commercial property owners. Applying the correct pavement striping will provide safety for your customers or clients.
If you want excellent parking lot painting and striping in Calgary, you can count on our team at Infinity Asphalt Paving Inc. We have the proper experience and training necessary to get the job done well. Contact us today to learn more about our services!
Brent Schuldhaus is the founder and president of Infinity Asphalt. He grew up in Calgary, Alberta, played junior hockey for three years, graduated from the Smith School of Business at Queen’s University in Ontario with a Bachelor of Commerce and went on to found Infinity Asphalt in 2019.
