1st of Agust 2014. According to the plans of Lublin Housing Cooperative (LSM) of building parking lots on Wallendroda Street, Council for Culture of Space sent a letter to LSM and other large estates’ offices in Lublin with an idea of mounting resistance thresholds to prevent cars from parking on sidewalks.
Article describing the plans of building new car parks:
Contents ot the letter:
Lublin, 1st of August 2014.
Dear Mr. Jan Gąbka – Presitent of the Lublin Housing Cooperative
Councillor of the City of LublinDear Sir,
According to the plans of Lublin Housing Cooperative (LSM) of building parking lots on Wallendroda Street, please include in the plans installing of resistance thresholds to prevent cars from parking on sidewalks. The phenomenon of ‘annexation; of public space, lawns and pavements by drivers is widely known. In order to park, drivers do not take into consideration the needs of other users of the space, as illustrated by the following examples:
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- Hipoteczna Street. Cars parked diagonally instead of in parallel. Photo by Marcin Skrzypek.
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- Narutowicza Street. Drivers try to park in a way of keeping a big distance from the road…. Photo by Marcin Skrzypek.
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- … and as a result they park on the pavement. Photo by Marcin Skrzypek.
Thus we would like to propose that in the design of the parking lots on Walendroda Street (and throughout Lublin) the consideration of using resistance thresholds known in other polish cities as well as european, as showed in the pictures below:
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- The Netherlands: the resistance threshold informs the driver where is the end of the lot and limits the car from reaching further beyound this border. Photo by Marcin Skrzypek.
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- The Netherlands: the resistance threshold informs the driver where is the end of the lot and limits the car from reaching further beyound this border. Photo by Marcin Skrzypek.
This is the most simple solution in a situation when the pavement and parking lot are on the same level. In Lublin such thresholds are – but in concern for cars – in an underground carpark in Galeria Orkana shopping mall.
Considering the fact that the car reaches further than it’s wheels, this kind of thresholds should be mounted in a suitable distance from the boundary of the area reseved for the vehicle, so it’s front would not occupy the pavement. At the same time we urge not to use railings and fences, which divide the space both functionally and visually, spoiling the landscape and the well being of pedestrians. Instead of them we propose other solutions that simultaneously can prevent from the impression of narrowing of the pavement due to car fronts hanging over them:
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- Bursztynowa Street. We discourage the use of barriers as separators between the pavement and parking lot. The barrier makes the sidewalk even more narrow and increases the discomfort of pedestrians. Photo by Marcin Skrzypek.
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- Gliniana Street. What can be done when cars don’t enter the pavement, but cover them with the front, creating an uncomfortable impression of narrowing the space for pedestrians? Photo by Marcin Skrzypek.
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- In this kind of situation the solution can be mounting thresholds as here in Edinburgh, where with this method the parking lot was defined with an asphalt surface and leaving an extra space in front of the cars for drivers and passangers. Photo by Marcin Skrzypek.
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- Alternatively double thresholds can be used, as here on Górska Street. In this way marking out a clear border between the parking lot and pedestrian lane helps to avoid the impression of a collision of the two. The close distance from cars is less oppresive for pedestrians. Photo GoogleStreet.
Please consider taking into account the following proposals. We are confident that they can contribute to improving the quality of of space and will be an expression of mutual respect between the different users of the streets.
Sincerely,
Jan Kamiński – head of the Council for Culture of Space