Parking Lot Striping: Evolution of Design Standards.

By JD Theis

Prior to World War II, parking lot striping was not a major concern for American businesses. There were pockets of the United States that required quality stenciling for roads and parking lot striping, but these were largely limited to the urban centers of the country. After the war, the needs for stenciling and parking lot stripping had drastically changed. The war economy that had boosted the country out of its economic depression was no longer in existence and manufacturing had switched back to consumer goods. Possibly the largest of these industries was the automobile sector.

Corporate giants like Ford, Chevrolet, and Dodge were now producing automobiles instead of tanks and aircraft, and they provided an entire generation of G.I.’s with affordable transportation. With countless new automobiles on the road, and an economy that was flush with cash, it soon became apparent that there was a need to address the navigational needs of Americans. People found themselves with the time and ability to travel, and the car was their primary source of transportation. Because of this, the post-war economic revolution would literally change the face of the entire American continent.

During the middle of the twentieth century, the United States had embarked on the largest public works project in history known as the Federal Highway Act of 1956. At the time, President Dwight D. Eisenhower had put into motion a plan that would network the entire country with a series of highways. It had become obvious that there was a growing need for reliable highway and road networks. In addition to this, it also became obvious for the need to develop strategies that would address parking lot striping and navigation. It was an aggressive and far reaching plan that was the first of its kind anywhere in the world.

It would require tremendous amounts of logistics, engineering and planning. In addition to this, the new interstate highway system had to be based on a single standard. These federal standards had to ensure that any driver negotiating a highway would be able to navigate in the same manner regardless if they were driving in New York, Texas, or California. These standards were called AASHTO design standards, and they largely addressed only interstate navigational needs. They did not properly address the needs for parking lot striping and navigation, and although parking lot navigation was not a priority in the 1950′s, it was a need that would soon need to be considered.

As the consumer market continued to grow, small scale businesses were gradually replaced by larger companies. Large department stores and shopping centers began cropping up all over the country, and it became apparent that these businesses needed to provide adequate parking for their customers. The first part of the business that the consumer would see is the parking lot, so companies had to ensure that they had a parking structure with adequate space and parking lot striping. Through the passage of time, parking lot designs had come under state and federal codes. Now, the parking lot is as permanent a fixture as the interstate highway system that was started so long ago.

JD Theis is the author of this article on Parking

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