Car park slip testing.
Where vehicles end and pedestrians begin.

Car parks sit at the pedestrian-vehicle interface

Every car park user becomes a pedestrian the moment they close the driver's door. That transition — from car to pedestrian route — is the highest-frequency slip claim environment in the sector, and it's typically the area least considered in the original design. Painted pedestrian walkways across decks, stair cores, lift lobbies and the transition between parking bay and marked route are routinely found at PTV 20–28 in the wet.

Car parks also have a specific operational feature that worsens slip risk: vehicles track water, oil, diesel and road-salt brine onto the deck. Testing with realistic contamination, rather than potable water alone, is the technically correct approach.

The car park environments we test

Multi-storey parking decks

Power-floated concrete or mastic-asphalt with applied coating (resin, acrylic or polyurethane). Marked pedestrian routes in contrasting paint — typically the weak point. Inter-deck ramps have slip-plus-slope considerations.

Underground and basement car parks

Similar to multi-storey but with the added complication of constant sub-surface moisture, condensation and poor ventilation. Algal growth is a specific concern in older underground parks.

Surface car parks

Tarmac or block-paved surfaces. Winter contamination with road salt and grit, summer issues with algae in shaded areas.

Stair cores and lift lobbies

The stair cores connecting parking decks to street level concentrate pedestrian traffic. Stair nosings, landings and lift-lobby floors are routine pendulum targets. BS 5395 and BS 8204 cross-reference here.

Payment machine areas and exits

Pedestrian islands around pay-on-foot machines. Often painted or over-coated concrete.

Ramps and travelators

Vehicle ramps are not pedestrian surfaces by design but are used as such in emergencies and by users shortcutting to lower levels. Pedestrian travelator entry/exit zones are specific claim hotspots at shopping-centre car parks.

External kerb-drops and crossings

The kerb-drop transition from car park exit to public footway — a frequent trip/slip location.

Contamination considerations

Car park surfaces carry:

• Water — rain, cleaning
• Road salt and brine — winter months
• Oil, diesel and hydraulic fluid — drips from vehicles
• Tyre rubber residue — polished onto decks over time
• Algae — in low-ventilation decks and shaded surface bays
• Leaf mould and organic matter — autumn, near tree lines

A competent car-park survey tests both the clean-wet pendulum and, where relevant, documents the response to realistic additional contaminants.

Operator and duty-holder types

• Commercial operators — NCP, Q-Park, APCOA, Saba and regional operators.
• Local authority car parks — town-centre and leisure-estate parks, typically operated in-house or via a parking contractor.
• Retail operators — supermarket, shopping centre and retail-park operators with liability for their adjacent parking.
• Office and business park landlords — decked or surface parking as part of a commercial estate.
• Hospital, university and leisure-centre car parks — typically run by the parent institution.

Car park PTV targets