Among the myriads of potential safety issues that can arise within a strata property, parking areas consistently sit near the top of the list. These spaces can be particularly challenging – high use, shared access, and a mix of vehicles and pedestrians means small issues can quickly become recurring concerns.
Wherever vehicles and pedestrians share space, some level of risk is unavoidable, but that’s just the tip of the iceberg.
At Mabi Services, we regularly work alongside owner’s corporation managers and committees and have seen more than our fair share of hazards and maintenance issues crop up in car parks, basements, and shared driveways. Many are easy to overlook in day-to-day use, yet they can quietly increase risk over time.
Below are just a few common areas worth keeping an eye on.
The Ground Beneath Your Feet
Parking areas are often functional rather than polished, which can make surface-level hazards easy to miss, such as:
- Trip hazards throughout parking areas (e.g. unmarked wheel stops and kerbs, raised edges between concrete slabs, and other forms of concrete deterioration)
- Oil leaks within parking spaces, creating slip hazards
- Damage to paths, kerbs, and lawns caused by parking on common property
- EV charging cords running across trafficable surfaces, creating trip hazards
Markings, Lines and Signage
Clear visual cues can go a long way in helping parking areas function safely, so keep an eye out for:
- Fading or unclear painted parking lines, leading to disorderly or encroaching parking
- No signage identifying common parking spaces (e.g., visitor vs resident parking)
- Missing or unclear maximum height signage at car park entries or carports
Where Cars and Pedestrians Cross Paths
Shared-use areas are often unavoidable in strata properties; however, when parking spaces also function as thoroughfares, safety can become less straightforward, which can show up as:
- Parking areas and driveways serving as both pedestrian access and vehicle entry/exit points
- Parking spaces located close to pedestrian paths, especially at blind spots
- Vehicles parking over pedestrian pathways, forcing pedestrians onto roadways
- Parking spaces located along designated egress routes
- EVs are much quieter than conventional vehicles, which can make it more difficult for pedestrians and other road users to detect them as they approach
Design and Layout Challenges
Some risks stem less from behaviour and more from the physical layout of parking areas, including:
- Parking spaces bordering walls, fences, or buildings without wheel stops to prevent impact Service installations (hydrants, meters, underground services) located near parking areas and not adequately marked
- Vehicles parking over underground hydrants or services due to poor visibility or markings
- Unmaintained or overgrown vegetation obstructing the driveway, obscuring visibility, and limiting available space.
- High fencing or vegetation at driveway entries and parking areas limiting drivers’ visibility of pedestrians.
- Lack of mechanical protection or barriers to safeguard service infrastructure, increasing the risk of impact from vehicles
Traffic Management Within Car Parks
Even in low-speed environments, clear traffic guidance plays an important role in supporting safety.
Issues can arise where general traffic management measures are limited or absent, such as:
- Speed limits or shared-zone signage
- Traffic arrows or one-way signage
- Traffic mirrors at blind corners
- Pedestrian crossings or clearly delineated pedestrian routes
- Intersection markings or traffic light systems where appropriate
- Insufficient lighting in car parks and along driveways can reduce visibility, increasing the risk of trips, falls, and vehicle collisions
A Gentle Word on Prevention
While not every issue can be eliminated, many risks can be reduced with awareness, review, and proactive management.
From an owner’s corporation management perspective, parking areas often benefit from being treated as active, shared spaces rather than purely functional zones.
Some practical, low-pressure steps managers and Owners Corporations may wish to consider include:
- Engaging regular Safety and Maintenance reports from suitably qualified third-party experts to provide independent insight into potential hazards and maintenance needs
- Periodically reviewing recommendations and supporting committees with prioritisation and record-keeping
- Encouraging committee members and residents to raise concerns early, and ensuring those concerns are documented and tracked
- Using recurring reports, near misses/incident reports as a tool to identify patterns or emerging risks over time
Parking areas may not always attract much attention, but a little awareness can go a long way in helping keep these high-use spaces safer for everyone.
Parking environments vary in scale and complexity, from simple Class 1a developments with a single driveway to larger estates and mixed-use sites with internal roads, basement or multilevel carparks, and higher traffic volumes. Traffic safety considerations should therefore be assessed in the context of each specific environment.
At Mabi Services, we support owner’s corporation and managers with clear, practical reporting designed to highlight potential risks and maintenance requirements and assist with informed decision-making, without unnecessary complexity.