Your parking lot is one of the first things people see when they come to your business, making it an essential area to maintain. Wear and tear on your parking lot is unavoidable. However, there are several steps you can take to make sure your parking is safe for drivers and pedestrians. Read on to learn a few ways to improve your parking lot, whether you’re a business owner or a property owner!
Painting and Striping
Parking lots can be challenging to navigate, especially when you’re trying to find a spot. Using a parking lot striper machine to paint lines on the parking lot can help direct traffic and make it easier for visitors to park.
You might also want to consider painting lines that designate where specialized vehicles should park. For example, if you have an ADA-compliant ramp at your building, you’ll want to clearly mark designated visitors’ spots so they know where they should park to access this ramp. Consider having your lot restriped routinely to ensure these markings remain visible.
Add Signs
Signs are your parking lot’s first line of defense. The better you can communicate to drivers, the fewer mistakes they’ll make and the more likely they’ll be to find a spot with ease. You want your signs to be clear and easy to read. Use these tips for creating effective signage.
- Make sure all signs are clearly visible at night—Use reflective materials and lights where necessary.
- Ensure that all signs are in the right place; it should be obvious which direction traffic flows through your lot.
- Include clear directional arrows on signs to improve the flow of traffic.
Install Lighting
Lighting is a great way to improve your parking lot. It can help make the area safer for drivers and pedestrians and highlight various areas of the lot, like cart corrals.
If you want to light up your parking lot, consider installing lights around the entrance, exit, and space markers on each row. Parking lots with poor lighting make it more difficult for people to see where they’re going—which could result in an accident!
Repair Cracks
Another top way to improve your parking lot is to eliminate cracks in your lot that can be dangerous. They may cause people to trip, fall, or even break bones. If you fail to repair cracks, this damage can affect your business’s image and insurance. You can hire a professional to fill them or use concrete patching products on smaller cracks.
Your Parking Lot Should Be Safe
The safety of your customers is paramount, and you need to do everything in your power to keep them out of harm’s way. It doesn’t matter how great your products are if customers don’t feel secure enough to visit you.
The first step in creating a safe environment is ensuring the parking lot is well-lit and well-marked with lines on the pavement, signs directing drivers where they should go, and even signage about what kind of people park there.