GLOSSARY

Single-Loaded Module (see also Module and Double-Loaded Module)

A single-loaded module is a parking layout in which stalls line only one side of a drive aisle, so the aisle serves a single row of parking.

AISLE COST PER STALL, 90-DEGREE PARKING, 9-FT STALLSDOUBLE-LOADED18 + 24 + 18 = 60 FT MODULE270 SQ FT / STALLSINGLE-LOADED18 + 24 = 42 FT MODULE378 SQ FT / STALLModule width x 9 ft stall width / stalls served. Ramps, cores and turns add more.Single-loading costs about 40% more floor per stall in the module itself.
A single-loaded aisle serves one row of stalls, so each stall carries the whole aisle width behind it. Designers use it where a site or ramp leaves room for only one row. Typical dimensions; actual values vary by stall width and angle.

For 90-degree parking, a single-loaded module is about 42 feet wide: an 18-foot stall plus a 24-foot two-way aisle. Because the aisle serves only one row, each stall carries the full width of the aisle behind it. That makes single-loading less efficient than a double-loaded module, where two rows share one aisle, and designers use it only where the site or geometry leaves no room for a second row. Single-loaded parking bays are the same arrangement. See parking module.

Where it is used

  • Narrow sites, or the leftover width of a site after full double-loaded modules are laid out.
  • Along a ramp or speed ramp edge where only one row fits.
  • At the perimeter of a surface lot or along a building face.
  • With one-way aisles and angled stalls, where the aisle can be narrower and the penalty smaller.

Trade-offs

  • More floor area, and more structure, per stall.
  • A one-sided aisle is easier to drive and to see along, which can help at entries or in high-turnover areas.

The Parkonomics view

A single-loaded bay is usually a sign that the site, not the design, is making the decision. Before accepting one, test whether a different angle, aisle direction or structural grid would fit a second row. If it truly cannot, use the bay for something it does well: short-term, accessible or EV stalls near the entry.

Related terms: Double-Loaded Module, Parking Module, Parking Geometry, Interlock Dimension