Loading bays
Loading bays are off-street parking areas for use by pick-up and delivery vehicles. Most new large retail or business activity centres are required to install dedicated loading bays.
Key characteristics of appropriately designed loading bays:
- can reduce the impact of delivery vehicles on surrounding streets
- can reduce turn-around times for drivers
- typically managed by the site owner or leaseholder
- well suited for night freight deliveries
Factors to consider in design of loading bays:
- Siting of the facility - slope angles, flood exposure, available turning circles and whether single entry-exit routes are used. Reversing warnings are often required for single entry-exit routes. Loading bays should be located to complement logical traffic flows and optimise safety. The need for truck reversing should be minimised.
- Freight related noise - engine noise, reversing alarms and loading equipment. The Victorian Planning Provisions require councils to consider the EPA's industrial noise policy in the design of loading bays. See also Noise Guidelines and Regulation.
- Lighting overspill impacts - from the loading bay and truck movements.
- Health and safety risks of unloading and loading activities - particularly the use of forklifts and related materials handling equipment and the impacts of vehicles operating in a confined area.
- Building or centre ordering and delivery practices - impacts on the number and concentration of freight vehicle deliveries to the loading bay.
Links
- United States National Institute of Building Sciences - includes space attributes, relevant codes, standards and major resources for loading docks.