Recommended driveway dimensions

[jgb...@gmail.com]

I need to completely relandscape my front garden, and need some
guidelines for the dimensions for a driveway. I guess the kind of
questions I have are:
- How wide should it be?
- What's the minimum recommended circumference for a turning circle?

I'm hoping somebody might be able to recommend a suitable book that has
this kind of technical information in it, or reports of any experiences
would be welcome.

TIA

[Pat]

I once had to drive a U-Haul truck down a driveway that was too narrow.
There was curbs on both sides and one set of the truck duals had to ride on
top of the curb. So you need to allow for the use of the driveway by moving
trucks, UPS trucks and so on. In my area the Fire Department has to approve
the driveway for any new building.

Why not take some chalk into an empty parking lot and mark out a driveway
and try it out?

I would error on the big side.

try here
http://www.redwoodcity.org/cds/planning/pdf/Parking%20Dimensions.pdf

<jgb...@gmail.com> wrote in message
news:1167914493.9...@s34g2000cwa.googlegroups.com...

[CptDondo]

minimum is typically 9'. This is *very narrow*. A more typical 2-car
driveway is 18'. A large-ish car is 7' wide (think Ford Extinct or
similar behemoth).

For comparison, a typical normal two lane road is 12' per lane; a
highway with a median is usually 14' for the right lane and 12' for the
left lane, plus shoulders.

Turning radius is 12' inside, absolute minimum. A Ford Extinct-type
turning radius can be as much as 40', outside.

Get thee to a library, and borrow a copy of "Architectural Graphic
Standards", and read up on all the driveway dimensions. (Buying a copy
might set you back more than the driveway....)

--Yan

[jgb...@gmail.com]

Thanks Pat, very good idea about trying it out in some empty parking
lot! I'll check the references. This is exactly the kind of
information I was after.
Regards,
Jon

[jgb...@gmail.com]

Thanks Yann. I'll get myself to the library and see if I can't get a
copy of the Architectural Graphic Standards book you recommended. The
comparison with a standard highway is also a very good viewpoint; one
that I had not considered.
Regards,
Jon

[William Wagner]

In article <1168123508....@51g2000cwl.googlegroups.com>,
jgb...@gmail.com wrote:

My drive way has a curve in it. This affords landscaping options.
Also some obscure Chinese may say evil spirits can only travel in
straight lines. :)) Last I heard there are no straight lines in nature.

Bill

--

S Jersey USA Zone 5 Shade
http://www.ocutech.com/ High tech Vison aid
This article is posted under fair use rules in accordance with
Title 17 U.S.C. Section 107, and is strictly for the educational
and informative purposes. This material is distributed without profit.