Home Parking Bays Line Marking

AS/NZS 2890.1 specifies 2.4m minimum width for standard cars, but we recommend 2.5m-2.6m for residential bays to provide comfortable door clearance and accommodate modern SUVs and utes. Compact car bays can be 2.2m-2.3m if you're marking specifically for smaller vehicles. Accessible bays need 3.2m width minimum. Length typically 5.5m-6.0m depending on your driveway depth and vehicle types. A family in Balwyn had their previous contractor mark bays at 2.3m width (trying to squeeze in more spaces). Their large SUV's doors hit adjacent vehicles regularly. We remarked at 2.6m width. They lost one bay in the layout but gained usability and eliminated damage issues. Sometimes wider bays with fewer total spaces is the smarter choice.

Yes, we mark on concrete, asphalt, pavers, exposed aggregate, and even compacted gravel (though gravel is challenging and doesn't last as long). Concrete and asphalt are ideal because paint bonds well and lasts 4-6 years. Pavers work but the grout lines create irregular surfaces requiring more careful application. Exposed aggregate needs specialist paint that bonds to the textured surface. A property in Toorak had expensive exposed aggregate driveway. The owner worried marking would damage the finish. We used specialist acrylic designed for textured surfaces. The marking looks excellent and hasn't affected the aggregate appearance. We always test paint compatibility on a small section before marking entire driveways on unusual surfaces.

Depends on your household situation. Simple boundary lines work fine for families where everyone knows their usual spot and there's no confusion. Numbering becomes valuable when: multiple family members share limited bays and need allocation (Bay 1 for Dad's work car, Bay 2 for Mum's SUV, Bay 3 for teenager's car), properties with separate dwelling units need clear allocation (Main house: Bays 1-2, Granny flat: Bay 3), rental properties need tenant accountability for parking allocation. We've marked properties both ways. A family in Camberwell with five drivers and six bays just wanted boundary lines because everyone cooperates informally. A dual occupancy property in Bentleigh needed numbered bays (Unit 1: Bays 1-2, Unit 2: Bays 3-4) because the landlord required clear allocation in lease agreements.

Several approaches work well: "VISITOR" text painted in large letters inside the bay (most obvious method), yellow boundary lines for visitor bays versus white for resident bays (colour differentiation), positioning visitor bays closest to front door or main entry (intuitive location), adding directional arrow from street entry pointing to visitor zone. A property in Brighton has eight parking spaces. We marked two visitor bays (closest to front entry) with yellow lines and "VISITOR" text, while marking six resident bays with white lines and subtle numbers. The homeowner hosts frequent business meetings and told us clients now park correctly without being directed every time. The yellow colour and text make it foolproof.

Yes, though gradient affects design. Moderate slopes (up to 1:10) handle standard perpendicular bays fine. Steeper driveways benefit from parallel bays (vehicles park lengthwise along the slope rather than across it) or angled bays that align better with the slope direction. Very steep driveways might need wheel chock positions marked or "HEAD-IN PARKING" instructions. We assess slope during site inspection. A property in Ivanhoe had a steep driveway serving four vehicles. We marked four parallel bays running down the slope with wheel chock position indicators at the downhill end of each bay. This provided safe parking on a challenging slope where perpendicular bays would have been unusable or dangerous.

We can remove existing markings and remark to a new layout. Common reasons: family gets larger vehicles needing wider bays, adding a granny flat requires reallocating parking, reconfiguring driveway to fit an additional vehicle. Removal typically uses water blasting (effective for acrylic paint on concrete), mechanical grinding (for stubborn paint or uneven surfaces), or surface coating (painting over old lines with surface-matching colour then remarking fresh layout). A family in Hawthorn had four narrow bays marked when they owned sedans. They replaced their cars with large SUVs and utes that barely fit. We removed the old markings, redesigned the layout with wider bays (2.6m versus previous 2.4m), and remarked properly. They ended up with three comfortable bays instead of four cramped ones. The usability improvement was worth losing one space because their vehicles actually fit properly now.