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How Do Car Park Designers Make Wayfinding Easier for Users?

Most drivers recognise the signs of poor wayfinding signage. You enter a car park, hesitate at the first junction, miss the payment point, then loop back through traffic to try again. A car park designer prevents these issues through car park layout design and clear wayfinding signage that guides drivers from entry to exit.

Otherwise, moments of hesitation disrupt flow and increase pressure at busy points across the site. For landowners and operators, weak car park navigation often leads to complaints, avoidable risks, and additional operational workload.

This article explains how professional car park designers approach customer journey parking, how layout and signage work together, and why these decisions matter commercially.

Car Park Designers Plan Wayfinding from Day One

Wayfinding starts with a safety-led plan for how vehicles and pedestrians will share the site, where they will be kept apart, and how people will be guided at every decision point. A car park designer maps the actual routes users take on arrival, on foot, at payment, and on exit, then designs traffic routes so they can be used without endangering people nearby.

Health and Safety Executive (HSE) guidance is clear that roadways and footpaths should be separated wherever possible, and that traffic routes must be kept sufficiently far from doors, gates, and pedestrian routes to reduce risk [1]. This is why early accessible car park design decisions focus on segregation, clear desire-line footpaths, and visible crossing points that drivers and pedestrians can quickly understand.

At this stage, a car park designer will typically define and signpost:

Separate vehicle and pedestrian routes wherever reasonable

Barriers, raised kerbs, and clear markings that prevent pedestrians from stepping into vehicle lanes

Marked crossing points that are easy to see in all directions, with dropped kerbs where walkways are raised

Controls that direct people to safe crossings and discourage risky shortcuts, such as guard rails or deterrent paving

Communication for users, including clear signage for visitors, and route awareness for staff through training and induction

By building these requirements into the layout from the outset, signage supports a predictable journey rather than correcting avoidable problems later.

How Signage & Layout Reinforce Each Other

Signage performs its role effectively only when it is designed in concert with the site's physical layout. A car park designer uses car park layout design to control where information is required, then positions signs so drivers receive clear instructions with enough time to read, understand, and act safely.

The Traffic Signs Manual states that signs must be “necessary, clear and unambiguous” and that messages should be delivered at the point they are needed, neither too early nor too late for a driver to complete a manoeuvre safely [2]. This principle informs parking signage standards in car park environments, particularly at entrances, junctions, and exit routes.

In practice, designers apply this guidance by:

Limiting the number of signs presented at any one decision point to reduce information overload

Ensuring signs are positioned with clear visibility distances so drivers can read them while moving

Aligning sign placement with natural sightlines and lane geometry rather than forcing late corrections

Using consistent colours, symbols, and wording to support rapid recognition

The Manual also emphasises reducing sign clutter, as excessive or poorly grouped signage makes it harder for drivers to take in information, particularly for older users. For this reason, layout decisions such as junction spacing, lane discipline, and road markings are addressed first so signage can reinforce behaviour rather than compensate for confusion.

Lighting, mounting height, and background contrast are considered during design to maintain legibility in low light, wet conditions, and peak traffic periods. By coordinating layout and signage from the outset, car park designers create environments where direction feels predictable and navigation errors are reduced.

Why Better Wayfinding Reduces Complaints & Protects Compliance

Effective wayfinding supports car park safety and compliance by making terms, routes, and instructions clear at the points drivers need them. When signs and markings are easy to find and understand, operators reduce disputes, strengthen the defensibility of enforcement, and limit the operational costs of complaints and appeals.

The Private Parking Sector Single Code of Practice from the British Parking Association and International Parking Community treats signage and markings as operational controls [3]. It requires signs to be visible, legible, unambiguous, and positioned so drivers can understand terms before and during parking, especially at entrances and other decision points. For new sites, signage must meet these standards from October 2024, with full compliance required across all locations by December 2026.

Poor wayfinding increases the likelihood of appeals by preventing drivers from accessing information when they need it. The Code makes clear that unclear signage can weaken enforcement and expose operators to reputational and operational risk. Designers therefore plan wayfinding to support consideration and grace periods, ensuring users can read signs, make payments, and exit without undue pressure.

How Technology Supports Consistent Wayfinding at Busy Sites

Technology supports wayfinding by reducing uncertainty at common friction points, such as entry rules, payment confirmation, and exit conditions. A car park designer plans these touchpoints so the digital journey matches physical signage, reducing mixed messages that trigger complaints.

In practice, technology can reinforce wayfinding by:

Confirming how to pay and when the payment must be completed

Providing clear prompts at entry and near payment areas, so drivers do not circulate unnecessarily

Supporting predictable exit behaviour by aligning on-site messaging with system rules

ANPR systems work best when signage explains what the driver must do, what the system records, and how payment is confirmed. When digital messaging aligns with physical signage, users exit the site more quickly, and disputes are reduced.

Work with Experienced Car Park Designers

Wayfinding works best when it reflects how a site is used in practice. Professional car park designers work with landowners and managing agents to understand peak demand, trading patterns, and user behaviour, then shape layouts and wayfinding signage around real routes and pressure points. This partnership-led approach helps wayfinding stay effective as usage changes, including in mixed-use or seasonal locations.

Britannia Parking combines design expertise with compliant, technology-led management. Our case studies show how considered design and ongoing management can improve operational stability and reduce day-to-day admin across sectors.

Contact our team for a practical review of your car park layout, signage, and navigation, with clear recommendations based on how your site is actually used.

External Sources

The Health and Safety Executive (HSE): https://www.hse.gov.uk/workplacetransport/separating.htm

GOV.UK, “The Traffic Signs Manual”: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/traffic-signs-manual

The British Parking Association & International Parking Community, “The Private Parking Sector Single Code of Practice”: https://www.britishparking.co.uk/write/Documents/AOS/NEW%20Redesigned%20Documents/sectorsingleCodeofPractice.pdf