Park & Reflect December 2025
- Trina Tutor
- 2 days ago
- 2 min read
Measure Right, Design Smart: The Power of Knowing Your Numbers
A friend recently told me about a few challenges her husband, an architect, faced with a coworker — and one story really stuck with me.
This coworker designed a drive-thru lane for a local business here in our small Texas town. He made a simple mistake, but one that came with a big price tag: he didn’t account for the average vehicle size in Texas. You’ve heard it said that everything’s bigger in Texas, and if you’ve ever been here, you know that includes our vehicles. Texans love their big trucks — and designing for anything less can cause real problems.
To understand why this mattered so much, let’s compare the most popular vehicles in a few states:
In Texas, designing a drive-thru isn’t just about making it look good — it’s about making it work for the vehicles people actually drive. Big trucks like the Ford F-150 need wider lanes, gentler turns, longer stacking lanes, and higher canopies than a Honda Civic. Architects often run simulations to see exactly how these trucks navigate the space, making sure they don’t scrape curbs, hit signs, or block traffic. Get these details right and the result is a drive-thru that’s smooth, safe, and stress-free for everyone.
That brings us back to the architect’s design flaw: he didn’t leave enough space in the drive-thru lane for these Texas-sized trucks. Which was expensive, time consuming, and meant he had to go back to the drawing board, literally!
At The Parking Network, one of the things we’re known for is Clyde Wilson’s Parking Rules to Live By. These three rules are simple, practical guidelines that help operators better manage their facilities — but honestly, one of them goes beyond parking, and as a Senior Data Analyst, it’s my personal favorite: Rule #3: Know Your Numbers.
If you’re designing in Texas, knowing the average vehicle size isn’t optional — it’s essential. It shapes everything from drive-thru lanes to parking stalls. When you get those details right, everyone wins: drivers, property owners, and operators alike. It all adds up to a smoother, more efficient experience for everyone.
But that principle goes beyond design and beyond parking. Whether you’re analyzing performance data, optimizing a process, or managing your personal budget — knowing your numbers means understanding the key metrics that drive results. When you have that insight, you’re not just tracking data; you’re empowering better decisions and more confident action.
Because at the end of the day, success isn’t about guessing. It’s about knowing.
If you'd like to hear the rest of Clyde's Parking Rules to Live By — and trust me, they're worth it — you can catch them in Season 1 of our podcast, where Clyde and I break them down and talk about why they matter. Listen to the episode here!