While different approaches are required for interior and exterior car parks, lighting is a key factor in determining how safe people will feel. It is not only lighting fixtures that can achieve an overall feeling of safety, lighter colours on ceilings can also increase levels of illumination. Various approaches are required for buildings and open car parks, yet general principles relating to sightlines, lighting and access control can also increase safety levels. Lighting throughout underground and multi-storey car parks must conform to AS2890.1 and AS1680.2 as minimum standards.

A critical consideration is how the design of the car park is experienced from the pedestrian’s perspective. It is important that lighting enables a person to clearly identify vehicles, objects, people approaching and permit colour rendition. AS1680 Interior Lighting addresses providing well-lit areas in car parks not only assists in the safety of vehicles using them, but perhaps more importantly offers a more inviting environment for the public when leaving or returning to parked cars. The choice of fittings to achieve these results is important. They should be robust and vandal resistant. In addition the fitting should provide good distribution with minimum glare, particularly as mounting heights are usually low. Polycarbonate diffusers should be a minimum requirement with suitably finished metal bodies or gear/reflector enclosures. Decrolux is able to offer a wide choice of standard or suitably modified fittings to suit particular site conditions.