Take a look at this van which has a ramp for a wheelchair to enter and exit.

Now take a look at the size of an average carpark. Do you think the van above would have enough room to not only lower the ramp, but also allow the wheelchair user enough room to turn around outside?

In case you didn’t get it, the answer is no. There would not be enough room. Accessible parking is designed specifically for mobility vehicles that may require extra space, either on the side or the rear of the vehicle, to allow wheelchair users to get in and out.

Can you imagine if a wheelchair user shows up to a location to find there is no accessible parking? This is extremely inconvenient, which is why it would be nice for them to know beforehand whether there will be accessible parking and if it has enough space for their specific vehicle.

Accessible Parking has 4 subcategories: Both Rear and Side Entry, Rear Entry, Side Entry, and Not Accessible.

To be categorised as accessible for a rear entry vehicle, the length of the car park must be 6.3 metres or more.

To be categorised as accessible for a side entry vehicle, the width of the car park must be 3.5 metres or more.

This includes the striped areas and any free space behind/beside it that cannot be parked in, such as a no parking zone, or the footpath beside it, etc. However, if the space behind it is for a driveway then this space will not be included in your measurements.

For example, in this image, the park itself may not look big enough to be accessible, but because it is right next to a footpath, the ramp should be able to come out onto the footpath.

If it does not fit any of these measurements (for example the length is smaller than 6.3m and the width is smaller than 3.5m), then it will be considered not accessible and can be subcategorised as ‘Not Accessible’.