See photo. What term do you use to refer to the areas between the white lines (and the areas in which those vehicles are parked)? Not the overall structure, just those particular areas within the overall structure.
I'll explain why I ask this after there are some responses. Has to do with something I saw at work yesterday.
(https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20190306/6a28cb07e937fb874ff86d31a0f0c2c2.jpg)
Parking spaces, unless I'm misunderstanding what you mean.
You understood the question. I'll explain once there are some other replies, if any.
Quote from: 1995hoo on March 06, 2019, 08:39:20 AM
See photo. What term do you use to refer to the areas between the white lines (and the areas in which those vehicles are parked)? Not the overall structure, just those particular areas within the overall structure.
I'll explain why I ask this after there are some responses. Has to do with something I saw at work yesterday.
This Parking Structure Design Guideline calls them "parking spaces" and also "parking stalls". The accessways to the stalls are called a "drive aisle".
I hadn't heard some of those terms before, but there are various specific civil engineering terms utilized within the profession that are not commonly heard by the public.
https://ccdcboise.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/11/CCDC-Boise-Parking-Structure-Design-Guidelines_2016-Final-Draft-08-04-2016.pdf
"Parking space" and "parking spot" were the only terms I was aware of until I read Beltway's post.
This debate isn't exactly on the level of soda/pop, or even bag/sack.
Scott's post answers what I was wondering.
I've akways heard "parking space" in this context, or "parking spot" as to on-street parking where there are no designated limit lines. I've heard one person use the term "bay" when the spaces all had numbers (as in, "the car is in bay #5" ).
I'm working on a construction-related matter and the people whose work I'm seeing kept saying "parking stalls." They're located in Colorado and I found myself wondering if it was an industry-specific term or a regionalism (the latter being like Minnesotans' weird use of "parking ramp" ). I cannot ask them directly for several reasons. But Scott's post explains it–it's a weird construction industry convention.
To my ears, "parking stall" sounds like an enclosed area with barriers–like the enclosed space for defecating in a public restroom, a space that's typically called either a "stall" or a "booth."
"Parking ramp" isn't as weird as "duck, duck, brown duck"
Putting the cheese inside of the cheeseburger is weird, but also delicious.
Parking slots.
Quote from: 1995hoo on March 06, 2019, 09:42:50 AM
I'm working on a construction-related matter and the people whose work I'm seeing kept saying "parking stalls." They're located in Colorado and I found myself wondering if it was an industry-specific term or a regionalism (the latter being like Minnesotans' weird use of "parking ramp" ). I cannot ask them directly for several reasons. But Scott's post explains it–it's a weird construction industry convention.
That manual was prepared by a civil engineering consulting company, so I don't think the construction industry provided the input. Engineering terms often sound odd when you first hear them -- one example, superelevation being the banking of a roadway.
I would surmise that the design plans for the parking garage are what those construction workers are commenting on.
Public car holes.
Parking spot or parking space.
Someone mentioned "parking ramp." That term is unusual to me. I always heard them referred to as "parking garages." First time I ever heard the term "parking ramp" was when the parking facility used at the last Richmond meet (in the Short Pump area, hosted by Will Weaver) was described.
Quote from: Beltway on March 06, 2019, 10:03:12 AM
....
I would surmise that the design plans for the parking garage are what those construction workers are commenting on.
Could be. Some of the communications in question didn't refer to the plans, but of course they probably assume context an outside party doesn't know about. (BTW, it was obvious what "parking stalls" meant. I was just curious about the use of the word "stalls" as opposed to "spaces." )
A friend of mine who works for a construction company thought "stalls" sounded absurd when I asked her the same question from the original post.
Parking stall.
Car hole would be used for the structure itself
Super Fun Happy Automobile Locations of Leisure
I've really only heard "bay" used in connection with auto repair shops where there are separate designated work areas for individual vehicles–typically with each area having its own roll-up door. I could also imagine "bay" being used to describe fire stations or similar environments where one large structure has designated parking areas with separate entrances for those areas.
I think "space" is most commonly used by the public to describe what you pictured–"stall" is perhaps a little less prevalent in civilian use (though still common) although arguably more common in official, institutional use. For what it's worth, I've seen both terms used on pay-to-park kiosks.
"Spot" generally suggests a parking area with no definite bounds, like on the side of a street as you mentioned, or in a driveway, in a clearing in the woods, etc. But certainly if I was walking through a parking garage with someone and he gestured to a space that was lined and numbered and remarked "That's my usual parking spot," I wouldn't give it a second thought.
Quote from: briantroutman on March 06, 2019, 01:05:06 PMI've really only heard "bay" used in connection with auto repair shops where there are separate designated work areas for individual vehicles–typically with each area having its own roll-up door. I could also imagine "bay" being used to describe fire stations or similar environments where one large structure has designated parking areas with separate entrances for those areas.
I've also heard it used to describe the area where you can wash an individual car at a self-service car wash.
Quote from: abefroman329 on March 06, 2019, 01:15:31 PM
I've also heard it used to describe the area where you can wash an individual car at a self-service car wash.
Right–arguably that would be similar to the fire station or repair shop example, the common thread among all of them being separate entrances for the spaces.
If the gate guard at a standard, garden variety parking garage without separate entrances or physical dividers between the spaces (like the one pictured above) told me to park in "Bay 156" , I'd know what he meant, but I would think the use of "bay" to be a bit odd.
I could've sworn there was a rental car company that referred to parking spaces for its cars on a lot as "bays," but I can't remember which one it was.
Quote from: abefroman329 on March 06, 2019, 09:48:28 AM
"Parking ramp" isn't as weird as "duck, duck, brown duck"
Putting the cheese inside of the cheeseburger is weird, but also delicious.
SMH it's gray duck, not brown duck.
Also, parking ramp is a perfectly cromulent phrase. There are ramps, and they lead you to levels with parking spaces. Makes sense to me.
In my mind, a "parking ramp" would mean the entire structure consists of a sloped ramp that has parking spaces along its sides (or along one side). A garage like the one seen in the original post (it's at the Franconia—Springfield Metro in Virginia, BTW) has levels connected by ramps, but the levels themselves aren't sloped. So to me it makes no sense to refer to the whole thing as a "parking ramp."
Hence why "parking ramp" is a great example of a regionalism, I guess.
Quote from: abefroman329 on March 06, 2019, 09:48:28 AM
"Parking ramp" isn't as weird as "duck, duck, brown duck"
Putting the cheese inside of the cheeseburger is weird, but also delicious.
That second one raises the question of whether it's a Jucy Lucy or a Juicy Lucy. :-D
Parking spot
Parking space
Stall
I use the first two most frequently in general, but I use the third occasionally if I'm already in a parking lot and it's obvious what I'm referring to–such as saying "That lady tried backing out of the stall with the car in Drive".
Quote from: bmorrill on March 06, 2019, 09:48:49 AM
Parking slots.
I've never heard this one before, but it makes sense.
This has already been discussed in numerous threads:
Mapping Variations in American English Dialect (https://www.aaroads.com/forum/index.php?topic=9619.msg225967#msg225967)
dumb question: why do we call it a parking garage? (https://www.aaroads.com/forum/index.php?topic=14119.msg2024003#msg2024003)
Parking Garages (https://www.aaroads.com/forum/index.php?topic=19729.msg2207391#msg2207391)
kphoger, those threads seem to address issues other than what you call the actual parking space/spot/stall/whatever.
Quote from: 1995hoo on March 06, 2019, 02:44:49 PM
kphoger, those threads seem to address issues other than what you call the actual parking space/spot/stall/whatever.
Yeah, you're right.
Also, "parking place."
"I drove around the parking lot forever before I found a parking place."
Quote from: 1995hoo on March 06, 2019, 01:50:07 PM
In my mind, a "parking ramp" would mean the entire structure consists of a sloped ramp that has parking spaces along its sides (or along one side). A garage like the one seen in the original post (it's at the Franconia—Springfield Metro in Virginia, BTW) has levels connected by ramps, but the levels themselves aren't sloped. So to me it makes no sense to refer to the whole thing as a "parking ramp."
Hence why "parking ramp" is a great example of a regionalism, I guess.
Quote from: abefroman329 on March 06, 2019, 09:48:28 AM
"Parking ramp" isn't as weird as "duck, duck, brown duck"
Putting the cheese inside of the cheeseburger is weird, but also delicious.
That second one raises the question of whether it's a Jucy Lucy or a Juicy Lucy. :-D
Shit, yeah, gray duck, not brown duck, sorry.
I don't know how we decided on going to Matt's Bar over the 5-8 Club, but there it was a Jucy Lucy, so Jucy Lucy it is.
Quote from: 1995hoo on March 06, 2019, 12:11:43 PM
Quote from: Beltway on March 06, 2019, 10:03:12 AM
I would surmise that the design plans for the parking garage are what those construction workers are commenting on.
Could be. Some of the communications in question didn't refer to the plans, but of course they probably assume context an outside party doesn't know about. (BTW, it was obvious what "parking stalls" meant. I was just curious about the use of the word "stalls" as opposed to "spaces." )
A friend of mine who works for a construction company thought "stalls" sounded absurd when I asked her the same question from the original post.
If fits within the English noun definitions for "stall" --
stall noun
Definition of stall (Entry 1 of 5)
1a : a compartment for a domestic animal in a stable or barn
b : a space marked off for parking a motor vehicle
2 a : a seat in the chancel of a church with back and sides wholly or partly enclosed
b : a church pew
c chiefly British : a front orchestra seat in a theater –usually used in plural
3 : a booth, stand, or counter at which articles are displayed for sale
4 : a protective sheath for a finger or toe
5 : a small compartment
a shower stall
especially : one with a toilet or urinal
: the condition of an airfoil or aircraft in which excessive angle of attack causes disruption of airflow with attendant loss of lift
: a ruse to deceive or delay
https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/stall
Like many words, there are a whole variety of different uses and definitions.
I also use the term "sparking pot" frequently.
Quote from: abefroman329 on March 06, 2019, 03:52:22 PM
I don't know how we decided on going to Matt's Bar over the 5-8 Club, but there it was a Jucy Lucy, so Jucy Lucy it is.
Without the "i" is how I learned to spell it, but I've seen it both ways.
I've also never been to either place, so I have no opinion on their interpretations. I can make a damn good one at home, though!
Quote from: MNHighwayMan on March 06, 2019, 04:38:27 PMI've also never been to either place
You should go to Matt's. We had to get there right when they opened for the day so we didn't have to wait forever for a table, but it turns out there's no such thing as "too early in the day for a Jucy Lucy."
Quote from: Beltway on March 06, 2019, 03:55:30 PM
Quote from: 1995hoo on March 06, 2019, 12:11:43 PM
Quote from: Beltway on March 06, 2019, 10:03:12 AM
I would surmise that the design plans for the parking garage are what those construction workers are commenting on.
Could be. Some of the communications in question didn't refer to the plans, but of course they probably assume context an outside party doesn't know about. (BTW, it was obvious what "parking stalls" meant. I was just curious about the use of the word "stalls" as opposed to "spaces." )
A friend of mine who works for a construction company thought "stalls" sounded absurd when I asked her the same question from the original post.
If fits within the English noun definitions for "stall" --
....
Sure, but I don't think that invalidates anyone's opinion who thinks "parking stall" sounds stupid or weird.
Quote from: 1995hoo on March 06, 2019, 05:51:04 PM
Quote from: Beltway on March 06, 2019, 03:55:30 PM
If fits within the English noun definitions for "stall" --
Sure, but I don't think that invalidates anyone's opinion who thinks "parking stall" sounds stupid or weird.
My main point was that a lot of engineering profession terms sound weird when you first hear them.
This was the first time I heard that term, and I found it today in response to your original question.
I have always called them "parking spaces" or "parking spots", but now that I think about it the terms "space" and "spot" sound rather general and not precise at all.
https://interestingengineering.com/15-things-only-civil-engineers-know
15 Things Only Civil Engineers Know
Civil engineers have a very particular set of skills. Skills they have acquired over a very long time in engineering school. Skills that make them a nightmare to city planners and architects. Here are 15 things only civil engineers know.
15. How Many Different Types of Cement there are
Portland cement, high alumina cement, white cement, sulphate resisting cement. The list goes on. As civil engineers, we have a pretty good idea of what goes into different cements, how they work, and what we could add to make them perform better.
14. Technical Names of the Curves on Roads
Us civil engineers know that there are four types of road curves: simple, compound, reverse, and deviation. We know how to use the right equations to design a road with each one of these curves. Not only that, but we know how to calculate what slope the road needs to be in the curve to keep cars from sliding off the road.
13. Concrete is Never Dry
As a civil engineer, I probably love concrete a little too much. It is gray and mushy, then it soon turns into strong rock. If that's not what love looks like, then I don't know what is. In all seriousness though, we know how dry concrete is at certain points in its curing cycle. We also understand that concrete technically continues to dry and strengthen over its entire lifespan.
12. Particle Sizes for Different Types of Soil
We know the minute size differences between silt (.05 to .002 mm), sand (2mm to .05mm), and clay(<.002 mm). Some of us may not even have to calculate the particle size, we can just look at the soil and know. Along with these tidbits of knowledge, we can determine which combinations of soil make for better foundations and what needs to be done to make the ground more suitable for construction.
11. Why There are Gaps in the Road on Bridges and in the Track on Railways
Civil engineers know that there need to be expansion joints in roadways and railways to allow the metal to expand and contract with temperature. If these aren't built into the infrastructure, then the roads and railways can fail or bow.
10. There is a Very Big Difference Between Concrete, Cement, and Mortar
I don't know how many times I've heard someone refer to cement as concrete — the inside of me just cringes. We know that concrete is cement with a fine and coarse aggregate and that mortar has a higher amount of cement with added fine aggregate like sand. Cement alone is simply the binding material. Civil engineers probably also know that those trucks that carry concrete aren't called cement mixers, which is wrong anyway, they are called transit mixers.
9. How Fast is Too Fast for Sewage in a Pipe
One of the less glamorous parts of civil engineering is knowing how to handle wastewater. We know that sewage has to flow over 3 feet per second in horizontal pipes. We also know that if sewage flows too fast, like over 12-18 feet per second, then dangerous gasses can be produced and everyone has a bad day. There's a lot more science around handling your waste than you may think.
8. The Differences Between a Total Station and a Theodolite
Civil engineers know their way around surveying equipment. We know that a total station uses a GPS, lasers, and leveling sensors to measure precise elevations and distances to develop point clouds. Theodolites or auto levels simple can detect the change in elevation between two points, without distance measurements.
7. Every Kind of Truss and What Makes Them Different
There are hundreds of different kinds of trusses, each with their own specific structural loading capabilities. Civil engineers know when to use a certain truss and how to calculate their strength.
6. Most of Structure Loading Calculations are Just Estimations
Every civil engineer remembers their first structures class. We also remember that calculating loading values is so complicated that you can get different answers with different methods. We also probably realize that no loading calculation is 100 percent right, so we slap on some factor of safeties to cover ourselves.
5. Why the Leaning Tower of Pisa Hasn't Fallen Over Yet
Civil engineers probably understand that the Leaning Tower of Pisa was kept from collapse thanks to some ingenuitive geotechnical engineering. Engineers kept the tower from collapsing by placing weights on the north end of the foundation to right the structure. Now it is believed that the structure will survive for hundreds of more years.
4. Where Pipes Lead to and Where Our Water Comes from
As a civil engineer, you probably have caught yourself once or twice figuring out where exactly the water from your house flows to. Civil engineers are trained to design infrastructure that never gets seen, so we have a keen sense of where all of our utilities are routed.
3. Not All Rebar is Made Alike
Rebar isn't just a steel rod that gets put into concrete — anything but. Civil engineers understand what the different external patterns on rebar are for and how each kind is used. There's European rebar, carbon steel rebar, epoxy coated rebar, and the list goes on.
2. That a Cone of Depression isn't Something You Wear
The cone of depression has always been one of my favorite things about civil engineering. A cone of depression is a depression in an aquifer's water table when water is drawn out of it through a well. It's also a great way to explain to your friends how you feel when you are doing your fluids homework.
1. How to Test Dirt for Tons of Weird Values
Civil engineers understand that dirt is a crazy complex thing and all sorts of weird tests are needed to understand it. Tests like the standard penetration test, determining the Atterberg limits, or the oedometer test. If you see an odd little device in a civil engineer's office, it might be to test some small property in the dirt.
I call them either "parking spaces" or just "spots".
I generally call them parking spots. As in, "That idiot driver couldn't even figure out how to park; he took up 3 spots."
The building as a whole may be called "parking structure" - generally this is more formal usage, such as on a city website. Less formally, they are called decks or ramps, about equally interchangeably. For example, at a local hospital the online campus map calls them decks, but the sign on the building says ramp.
^^^^
Yeah, I used "structure" in the first post because I was trying to be as generic as possible to avoid leading anyone to use any particular term(s).
Quote from: 1995hoo on March 07, 2019, 07:25:52 AM
Yeah, I used "structure" in the first post because I was trying to be as generic as possible to avoid leading anyone to use any particular term(s).
"Parking structure" was part of the keywords I used to find that design guideline. So that apparently is part of the common civil engineering terminology, and they don't really like the term "garage".
Quote from: Beltway on March 07, 2019, 08:09:33 AM
Quote from: 1995hoo on March 07, 2019, 07:25:52 AM
Yeah, I used "structure" in the first post because I was trying to be as generic as possible to avoid leading anyone to use any particular term(s).
"Parking structure" was part of the keywords I used to find that design guideline. So that apparently is part of the common civil engineering terminology, and they don't really like the term "garage".
I saw a sign (not a BGS) somewhere that used the term "parking structure." I don't remember where it was, but I think it was a Metrorail station in Northern Virginia, presumably Springfield or Vienna because those are the two I've used the most often over the years and they both have garages (while I use Van Dorn a lot too, it just has a small surface lot). I can't rememver what the sign said otherwise, though. I'll try to remember to look for it tonight on my way home.
Quote from: briantroutman on March 06, 2019, 01:05:06 PM
I've really only heard "bay" used in connection with auto repair shops where there are separate designated work areas for individual vehicles–typically with each area having its own roll-up door. I could also imagine "bay" being used to describe fire stations or similar environments where one large structure has designated parking areas with separate entrances for those areas.
That how we refer to the space at the rescue squad -- it is a large part of the building to park ambulances and other equipment, with five individual accordion doors on the front and back of the building to allow access to each parking lane in the bay.
Bruce in Blacksburg
Parking deck -- not parking ramp -- is the phrase I meant to use describing the facility where we parked for that Richmond meet. A post above reminded me of that. Parking deck was a new term to me as well.
Quote from: hbelkins on March 07, 2019, 11:40:20 AM
Parking deck -- not parking ramp -- is the phrase I meant to use describing the facility where we parked for that Richmond meet. A post above reminded me of that. Parking deck was a new term to me as well.
I've heard the term "shelf" used as to one particular facility for which I think "deck" would be equally appropriate–it's a single level of parking near Scott Stadium in Charlottesville, it's located on a structure above another level, and it's not accessed via a ramp. For football parking purposes they call it the "West Shelf" lot (I used to have a permit for that lot for gamedays).
In the Street View it's the structure to the left. The parking underneath is a separate lot for gameday permit purposes.
https://goo.gl/maps/Qam3qJ5PUvM2
Quote from: hbelkins on March 07, 2019, 11:40:20 AM
Parking deck -- not parking ramp -- is the phrase I meant to use describing the facility where we parked for that Richmond meet. A post above reminded me of that. Parking deck was a new term to me as well.
To me...
garage = the structure
ramp = the incline road between levels
deck = the top level, open to the sky
bay = something at the mechanic's shop, not at a parking structure
Quote from: kphoger on March 06, 2019, 04:27:54 PM
I also use the term "sparking pot" frequently.
If you want to spark pot in a parking spot, just make sure it's on private property. :bigass:
What I saw in that picture was 2 things:
Two empty parking "spaces" that some a-hole will use both of because his car is too special to be parked near enough to other cars so that someone else might *accidentally* touch his car.
If they had the "Compact Only" label, I would see two spaces where someone will park their full-size SUVs.
Quote from: Mark68 on March 07, 2019, 02:40:22 PM
What I saw in that picture was 2 things:
....
If they had the "Compact Only" label, I would see two spaces where someone will park their full-size SUVs.
In that garage it'd likely be an F-150 parked backwards and sticking out into the aisle because the driver thinks he's supposed to back in because other pickup drivers do it, but he does a crappy job because he is afraid of the wall behind him.
Quote from: 1995hoo on March 07, 2019, 04:20:04 PM
Quote from: Mark68 on March 07, 2019, 02:40:22 PM
What I saw in that picture was 2 things:
....
If they had the "Compact Only" label, I would see two spaces where someone will park their full-size SUVs.
In that garage it’d likely be an F-150 parked backwards and sticking out into the aisle because the driver thinks he’s supposed to back in because other pickup drivers do it, but he does a crappy job because he is afraid of the wall behind him.
Yep, that too!
Quote from: 1995hoo on March 07, 2019, 08:33:08 AM
Quote from: Beltway on March 07, 2019, 08:09:33 AM
Quote from: 1995hoo on March 07, 2019, 07:25:52 AM
Yeah, I used "structure" in the first post because I was trying to be as generic as possible to avoid leading anyone to use any particular term(s).
"Parking structure" was part of the keywords I used to find that design guideline. So that apparently is part of the common civil engineering terminology, and they don't really like the term "garage".
I saw a sign (not a BGS) somewhere that used the term "parking structure." I don't remember where it was, but I think it was a Metrorail station in Northern Virginia, presumably Springfield or Vienna because those are the two I've used the most often over the years and they both have garages (while I use Van Dorn a lot too, it just has a small surface lot). I can't rememver what the sign said otherwise, though. I'll try to remember to look for it tonight on my way home.
This is indeed at the Springfield Metro–an overhead sign on the pedestrian bridge you use to exit the station. Didn't get a picture because I would have been in other commuters' way (plus I just wanted to get home and eat dinner). The sign simply has an arrow directing you to the "parking structure," which is a pretty reasonable term for the 5100-space structure that is essentially two garages connected to each other.
Quote from: 1995hoo on March 06, 2019, 08:39:20 AM
See photo. What term do you use to refer to the areas between the white lines (and the areas in which those vehicles are parked)? Not the overall structure, just those particular areas within the overall structure.
I'll explain why I ask this after there are some responses. Has to do with something I saw at work yesterday.
(https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20190306/6a28cb07e937fb874ff86d31a0f0c2c2.jpg)
Did you explain why you were asking, or did I somehow miss that? Or do you not yet have sufficient responses before you give us your reasoning?
Quote from: hbelkins on March 08, 2019, 11:41:17 AM
Did you explain why you were asking, or did I somehow miss that? Or do you not yet have sufficient responses before you give us your reasoning?
Reply #5.
"Stall", referring to the specific physical space between the lines delineating it.
It is, of course, also a "parking space", but that is a broader term that could also apply to street parking, or just an area of a private driveway. (Mine usually has room for three parking spaces–but no stalls.)
A "parking spot" is basically the same, but would usually imply some amount of difficulty in finding one; i.e., "My parking spot is ten blocks away" (in midtown Manhattan, perhaps), or "I got a great spot right out front!"