3.4 VEHICULAR PARKING & SITE ACCESS
3.4.1 Surface Parking • Large areas of interrupted parking should be avoided. • Planting strips, landscaped traffic islands and/or paving articulation should be used to define vehicle routes and smaller parking courts that provide pedestrian walkways, improve edge conditions and minimize the negative visual impacts of surface parking. • The amount of landscaping should be proportionate to the overall parking lot size, but generally, 1 tree for every 10 parking spaces is recommended. • Where parking areas are adjacent to the sidewalk, a landscaped buffer should be located between parked vehicles and the sidewalk. This buffer should be located within the private realm so as not to reduce the total sidewalk width. • Landscaping, or other parking area screening devices (i.e. fences), should not obstruct the primary building facade or total visibility of the parking area. • Distinctive pavement and/or markings should be used to indicate pedestrian pathways and crossings.
• Pedestrian-scaled lighting should be provided along pathways to enhance visibility and security. • Preferential parking for bicycles, energy efficient vehicles and car-share services are encouraged. Service and drop- off area circulation should not interfere with pedestrian circulation. • Better direction, or a landscaped pedestrian ‘spine’, should be provided for large parking areas, including the lot immediately east of the Tillsonburg Town Centre Mall. • It is recommended that the surface parking lot, immediately east of the Tillsonburg Town Centre Mall, be reconfigured, allowing the existing parking lot entrance off of Lisgar Avenue to align with Elgin Street. In addition to creating a more desirable intersection condition, this realignment could incorporate a designated sidewalk or pedestrian connection, linking Lisgar Avenue to the entrance of the Shoppers Drug Mart and the Tillsonburg Town Centre Mall. Please refer to Appendix F: Summary of Transportation Analysis for more information. • It is recommended that the aisle of perpendicular parking, within the above mentioned surface parking lot, adjacent to the Tillsonburg Town Centre, adjacent to the Shoppers Drug Mart entrance, be removed and replaced with an extended pedestrian realm with a sidewalk treatment and boulevard along the length of the Shoppers Drug Mart frontage. This row has been problematic in causing traffic congestion as well as accidents involving pedestrians and motorists. It is recommended that the surface of the adjacent driveway / private road, be differentiated from adjacent driveways and roads through the use of a special surface treatment. This would reinforce the shared-use nature of the street. Please refer to Appendix F: Summary of Transportation Analysis for more information. • A high-level parking analysis was conducted as a component of the study, the findings of which are Analysis. The results of this study indicate that the surface parking
Pedestrian walkways should be provided within surface parking lots.
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Brook McIlroy Inc. / McCormick Rankin Co.
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