Most car parks require some form of vehicle management signing, particularly the larger ones. Drivers need to be informed if one-way systems operate, when rights of way vary, and where special areas for coaches, trailer-towing vehicles and people with disabilities are designated. As the general rule is to keep signs to an absolute minimum, the […]
Category: Design for Outdoor Recreation
Walls
These can be very effective as screens and physical barriers. Drystone construction is traditional in many rural landscapes, while mortared stone is appropriate in more urban settings or near buildings or other structures. Local stone which weathers usually fits the setting admirably. Fences Post-and-rail or other traditional constructions can also be used. They may not […]
Log posts
Stout wooden posts can be set into the ground at suitable intervals following the edge of the parking areas. They should be of large diameter, set fairly deeply into the ground for strength and slightly angled at the top to permit water to run off. Spaced at slightly irregular intervals they look especially good in […]
Log barriers
Simple, stout barriers constructed from thick, straight logs placed on two short, upright posts of similar dimensions and set fairly deeply into the ground are quite effective. Varying the length and direction of barrier sections enables them to be aligned in different ways to follow the outside edges of the parking areas. Solid debarked logs […]
Earth mounds
These can be constructed from spare excavated material. They need to be steeply graded on the side facing the parking spaces, and should be graded into the landform on the other side unless they are intended to resemble hedgebanks or similar rural features. The steepness and height are essential to prevent four-wheel drive vehicles from […]
Construction
The car park construction will normally include a certain amount of excavation, which should be done in stages. For example, turf should be stripped and stored, followed by topsoil removal and storage, and then subsoil should be excavated to a depth to create the road and parking bays with the appropriate gradients for drainage. Roots, […]
Expected degree of use
In remote, lightly used locations the lower wear and tear expected will favour unsealed surfaces; the converse will apply at popular, heavily used areas. This also applies at short – stay facilities, where the turnover of visitors means that the surfaces are likely to be heavily used by vehicles. Location If the ROS is being […]
Distance from sources of material
Stone, tarmac and asphalt are expensive to transport over long distances. When budgets for recreation provision are limited it makes sense to use locally won materials where these are cheaper and suitable for the degree of wear and tear expected. Unsealed surfaces can be subject to heavy wear and tear, erosion, potholing and puddles unless […]
Appearance
Natural materials, especially those from the site or nearby, can reduce impact and blend into the landscape. Used for unsealed surfaces they also present a coarser texture than sealed surfaces and so tend to fit better into the wider landscape. Sealed surfaces such as bituminous macadam or asphalt are darker in colour, usually black, and […]
Parking for visitors with disabilities
The layout of the parking area, bay markings and location of facilities should take account of the needs of visitors with disabilities. Usually a number of bays should be reserved for their use, located as near as possible to the main features, the toilets, access to other areas and so on. People with disabilities need […]