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The roles and features of Wheel Stops!

If you are designing a residential or commercial parking space, make sure you install all the essential parking safety and traffic control devices, including speed bumps, speed humps, and wheel stops. These tools will help keep parking-lot users, vehicles, pedestrians, and even the property safe and protected.

Wheel stops are commonly used tools that control vehicles’ movement in parking spaces. They prevent vehicle-to-vehicle as well as vehicle-to-wall/property collisions.

These beneficial tools play many roles in parking facilities and have incredible features. However, many garage parking owners don’t truly understand their value and effectiveness.

This article is written specifically for them so they can learn how wheel stops can make their accessible parking areas safe for all.

In this article:

Discover below our full range of Wheel Stops!

A simple introduction to wheel stops

A wheel stop is a wheel barrier installed on a solid surface to prevent the unwanted movement of a parked vehicle. They inform drivers about the parking lane limit and prevent vehicle movement beyond that limit. If not installed, the driver may end up parking the vehicle in pedestrian zones or hitting another parked vehicle or the property wall.

Different names of car park wheel stops

Wheel stops are known by different names in different parts of the world. Some examples of these names are:

  • Parking bumpers
  • Parking spot blocks
  • Parking brakes
  • Tyre stoppers
  • Parking blocks
  • Car kerbs
  • Car park bump stops
  • Motorcycle wheel stops
  • Bus wheel blocks
  • Car wheel stops

All these names show that the purpose of using this tool is the same: to keep parking vehicles in their lanes and prevent their forward/backward movements.

A brief history of car park bump stops

Traffic control and pedestrian safety tools have been used by men for decades to make roads, streets, and parking spaces safe for all.

Transportation engineers, traffic management agencies, and parking garage owners started using this tool in the 20th century, but it became popular in the 21st century when manufacturers started synthesising them in different forms.

A car park bump stop with two yellow reflective tapes placed near a curb

6 facts you should know about tyre stoppers for cars!

Some of the popular tyre-stopper facts are:

  • They come in variable sizes, shapes, and designs. It gives a user the liberty to choose a piece that best suits his visitor parking lot’s needs and requirements.
  • Manufacturers now produce wheel stops using many materials, including recycled plastic, recycled rubber, metal, wood, and concrete. All these materials give unique features to wheel stops. However, if you need a wheel stop that is long-lasting, low-maintenance, easy to install, and not harsh to tyres, you should go for rubber-plastic tyre stoppers.
  • Wheel stops can be used in all parking lots, including metered parking, street parking, disabled person parking, public parking, reserved parking, parallel parking, parabolic parking, and overnight parking.
  • You can use this tool for various vehicles, such as cars, buses, carts, fire trucks, warehouse-loading vehicles, emergency vehicles, motorcycles, and cycles. However, you will have to consider the size of the tyre before purchasing a specific wheel stop for a specific vehicle.
  • Wheel stops are available in different colours. Bright colours like yellow help find them even in a dark space. Some wheel stops also have reflective surfaces that shine when light falls on them. It helps drivers see them in a car parking space.
  • Most wheel stops are waterproof and resistant to chemicals, changing weather conditions, and UV radiation. It helps increase their longevity.
Wheel Stops Factory parking blocks, made from a mix of rubber and plastic



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How do parking blocks work and why are they essential?

Parking blocks are raised obstructions that are installed on the hard surface. They are generally fixed to the ground with bolts. They are installed in parking lanes to tell drivers they cannot move their vehicles beyond a certain limit.

Traffic safety tools like a parking block, speed hump, signage, speed table, traffic cone, and parking brake are essential for multiple reasons. But if you ask why a parking block is essential, then here are the reasons that will tell you why:

  • It helps drivers maintain a safe distance between their vehicles.
  • It keeps vehicles organised and gives your parking area an ordered structure.
  • It prevents unwanted movement of heavy loading carts in warehouses and industries, where a little movement in the wrong direction can cause much damage.
  • It reduces the number of accidents in public parking areas, which makes your parking spots better than your competitors who don’t use this tool.
  • It makes it easier for people to follow parking rules and park according to the parking lines.
  • It protects the car bumper, which may get damaged by colliding with the curb or wall if there is no obstruction in front of the car.
Black and yellow parking blocks against the car tyre, used as traffic safety tools

Who should get car stops?

You should get traffic calming tools like rumble strips, rubber wheel stops, speed ramps, road bumps, orange cones, stop signs, and bollards to make a roadway, driveway, crosswalk, or free parking space safe for all.

Anyone who owns a parking place and wants to park his vehicle securely should get these beneficial tools. You should have these tools if you want to make any of the following areas safe.

  • Residential parking area: A car or motorcycle parking block in residential areas can help families park their vehicles according to the parking regulations. They ensure each family member gets a dedicated parking space for his/her particular vehicle.
  • Industrial area: These areas experience a heavy volume of foot and heavy vehicle traffic. Therefore, they should have wheel stops so people can maintain a proper distance between their vehicles and not cross the pedestrian zone while parking them.
  • Commercial parking facility: In parking spaces of commercial areas like shopping malls, dining areas, offices, etc., the distance between vehicles and pedestrians is short, which increases their risk of collision. If you want to reduce the risk of accidents, you should install this tool on your commercial property.
  • Multi-storey parking space: Many people park their vehicles in multi-storey parking lots. Such places generally have limited space. Therefore, marking out car spaces using wheel stops can help people park their vehicles in the right place and maintain traffic flow.
  • Electric-vehicle charging station: Today, many people use electric cars that they recharge at electric-vehicle charging stations. At these stations, car parking spaces should be properly marked with wheel stops so that vehicles don’t hit the expensive charging machine accidentally.
Black and yellow car wheel stops in residential parking area, industrial area, commercial parking facility, EV charger station, and there's a multi-storey parking space.

Conclusion

Parking garages and other parking options should have heavy-duty safety tools, including signposts, speed cushions, parking signs, traffic signs, traffic cones, and wheel stoppers.

Wheel stops are raised obstructions that prevent the forward or backward movement of cars, carts, motorcycles, trucks, etc., in parking spaces. You can find them in various colours, materials, and sizes in the market. It allows you to select a wheel stop that best suits your parking lot requirements.

Parking blocks play diverse roles in parking spaces. They protect vehicles, property, and objects placed in parking lots. They help maintain parking space structure by informing drivers where to park their vehicles without crossing the space limit. Get this helpful tool installed in your parking area if you want to make it safe for all!