Anyone who has tried to wrestle a toddler into a car seat while holding a wriggling baby and a bag of shopping knows exactly why parent and child parking spaces are a lifesaver. Standard parking bays simply don’t offer the width needed to fully open car doors safely. If you manage a retail park, supermarket, or leisure centre in the Wirral, providing these dedicated spaces is a brilliant way to make your premises family-friendly. As a core part of our Car Park Line Marking Services for Wirral Businesses, Shawfield Line Marking helps local sites design and paint perfect family parking zones.
Here is everything you need to consider when planning and marking out parent and child spaces in your car park.
Why Are They Necessary?
Parent and child spaces aren’t a legal requirement in the same way that disabled bays are, but they are incredibly important for customer experience and safety. Trying to squeeze a pram between two tightly parked cars often leads to scratched paintwork and stressed parents. By offering wider spaces, you reduce the risk of minor accidents and show your customers that you value their convenience.
The Right Dimensions
The main feature of a parent and child bay is the extra width. While a standard UK parking space is 2.4 metres wide, a parent and child space needs a buffer zone to allow doors to open fully.
- Standard Size: The bay itself should remain 2.4 metres wide and 4.8 metres long.
- The Buffer Zone: You should add a hatched area of at least 1.2 metres between the bays. This hatched area can be shared between two adjacent parent and child spaces.
This layout is very similar to the requirements you’ll find when looking at How to Set Up Disabled Parking Bays in Your Wirral Car Park, though parent bays don’t strictly require the rear hatching that disabled bays do, unless you want to provide extra room for boot access and prams.
Location is Everything
The whole point of these spaces is to keep young children safe from moving traffic. Therefore, parent and child bays should be located as close to the main entrance of your building as possible, ideally right next to the disabled bays.
They should also be positioned so that families don’t have to cross busy traffic lanes to get to the shop doors. If crossing a lane is unavoidable, it’s vital that you put down Safe Pedestrian Walkways for Busy Car Parks. A clearly marked zebra crossing or painted pedestrian path ensures that drivers know to stop and give way to families walking with prams.
Making Them Stand Out
To stop regular drivers from using these premium spots, they need to be clearly marked. We typically use bright, contrasting colours to make them stand out. A large, recognizable symbol—usually a pram or an adult holding a child’s hand—should be painted in the centre of the bay.
Adding clear signage at eye level can also help deter misuse. If your site is modernising, you might also be looking at Painting EV Charging Bays for Wirral Workplaces. It’s worth considering making one of your EV bays a wider, parent-and-child friendly spot, as many families are now driving electric vehicles.
Challenges in Multi-Storey Car Parks
If you operate a multi-storey facility, placing parent and child spaces requires a bit more thought. They should be located on the ground floor if possible, or right next to the lifts on upper floors. Pillars can be a nightmare for parents trying to open doors, so try to avoid placing these specific bays next to structural columns. For more advice on managing tight spaces, check out our Line Marking Tips for Multi-Storey Car Parks.
At Shawfield Line Marking, we use high-grade thermoplastic paint to ensure your parent and child bays stay bright, clear, and slip-resistant all year round. If you want to make your Wirral business more family-friendly, get in touch with us today to discuss your car park layout.