Contributed Collaborative Post
A poorly designed commercial parking lot can lead to a lot of problems, which can affect the reputation and success of your business. Below are some of the parking issues to avoid when designing or redesigning your company parking lot.
Traffic congestion
Parking lots can become congested if there are not enough bays, if there is not enough space to maneuver, if vehicles have to exit onto a busy road or if there are no access controls. This can lead to unhappy customers and may lead to a loss of business.
It could be worth hiring a traffic engineering company to help you optimize the layout of your parking lot and to find ways of controlling traffic to ease congestion (such as adding traffic lights just before the exit, forcing vehicles to stop and allowing vehicles to leave the parking lot). If you only want staff members or customers to park in your parking lot, consider putting in place access controls (like requiring a keycard to enter or installing automatic number plate recognition cameras).
Accidents
A high rate of accidents in your parking lot could be the result of overly tight bays or poor lighting. By making your parking lot easier to negotiate, you can reduce accidents and encourage more customers to visit that might otherwise be put off.
Consider adding a few larger bays for larger vehicles and make sure that your parking lot is well-lit if it is used at night. Also make sure that signage is clear and that lanes between bays are large enough to easily navigate.
High fees
Charging customers a lot of money to park in your parking lot will put off customers from parking there – potentially leading to a loss of business.
Try to be reasonable when setting parking rates. Consider what other parking lots charge in the area and try to match their prices. Make sure that your parking fee structure is clear and that it’s not designed to catch customers out, as this will lead to complaints. It’s also important to use a reliable payment system – make sure parking meters are well maintained and that parking apps don’t have any bugs.
Flooding
An often overlooked parking problem is flooding. If a parking lot gets large puddles or becomes immersed in water, it can put off customers from parking there or potentially lead to accidents.
Finding ways to improve drainage in your parking lots will prevent flooding. This could include adding sloped areas leading to gutters and drains, or switching to a gravel parking lot. Parking lot design companies can help you explore drainage options.
Criminal activity
Customers and staff will avoid parking in your parking lot if it is a popular hotspot for vandalism, car theft or other criminal activities. By finding ways to deter crime, you can make your parking lot safer and more welcoming.
A well-lit parking lot will often reduce crime at night. You could also consider fencing off your parking lot to prevent the wrong type of people loitering there, or you could install security cameras to monitor your parking lot.
This is a contributed collaborative post
