An access aisle is the marked, level clear space next to an accessible parking space or EV charging space that gives a person room to deploy a wheelchair lift or ramp and to get in and out of the vehicle.
Under the 2010 ADA Standards for Accessible Design, a car space is at least 96 inches wide with an access aisle at least 60 inches wide. A van-accessible space is either 132 inches wide with a 60-inch aisle, or 96 inches wide with a 96-inch aisle. Aisles run the full length of the space, connect to an accessible route, must be marked to discourage parking, and must be nearly level, with slopes no steeper than 1:48. Two accessible spaces may share one aisle.
Design points
- At least one of every six accessible spaces must be van accessible.
- Aisles may be on either side of the space, except that angled van spaces need the aisle on the passenger side.
- Van spaces and the route to them need adequate vertical clearance, which matters in parking structures.
- At EV chargers, the U.S. Access Board recommends accessible charging spaces with aisles, reachable controls and a clear path to the charger. See accessible EV charging space.
Common problems
- Aisles used as parking or blocked by bollards, carts or charger cords.
- Aisles that slope toward a drain or cross-slope on a ramp.
- Aisles that do not connect to an accessible route to the entrance.
The Parkonomics view
An aisle that is striped but blocked is a violation with a paint job. The aisle is the accessibility; the space just stores the car. Check aisles in condition surveys and enforce them like the spaces.
Related terms: Accessible Parking, Accessible EV Charging Space, ADA, Parking Geometry