Have you ever thought about your parking lot’s functionality? It’s often easy to overlook how much it matters.
If you own or manage a commercial property, you should make it as much a priority as your building’s other features. Otherwise, you may give a bad first impression to employees and patrons.
Why Does Parking Matter?
Did you know that 76% of American workers drive to their jobs each day? This statistic points to exactly why parking matters. It’s crucial for people to have access to safe, reliable garages and lots, whether they’re on their way to work or not.
Patrons could be turned away if your property doesn’t have the best parking situation. You might even discourage job applicants who think parking will be a hassle. Therefore, you can imagine that a safe, efficient garage or lot would help people think about your business in a positive light.
Here are seven ways to make your parking lot better.
1. Designate Visitor Spaces
Don’t let your parking situation be a free-for-all. If you designate spaces for visitors, you can ensure guests always have access to an open spot. This trick helps everyone feel more welcome. Pick five or so slots near the entrance and mark accordingly.
2. Set up Employee Passes
If you need a way to improve your parking lot’s security, you may want to consider employee passes. These can be slips workers place under their windshields so security guards have a way to know which cars belong in the garage or lot.
Alternatively, you can let employees use their IDs to enter. Be sure to print guest passes with expiration dates for visitors, as well.
3. Build a Covered Section
No one wants to return to their car only to discover weather damage. If you’re going to make a more significant update to your parking situation, you can always construct a covered portion.
This new structure will help create a safe environment and protect vehicles from the elements. Plus, it may lead to higher company profits, as you could offer premium spots to top clients.
4. Consider Management Software
It can be difficult and costly to manage a parking lot, especially when you have a hundred or more spaces to consider.
That’s when parking management software makes sense. These programs can help you reasonably designate spots for employees, so you establish the best possible setup for your company.
5. Install Charging Stations
While electric cars like Teslas and Priuses still aren’t the majority, you can’t ignore how popular they’ve become. Sales hit 2.1 million globally in 2019, and we can only assume they’ll continue to increase over the next few years. Therefore, you may want to invest in a few charging stations for your garages and lots.
6. Increase Number of Spots
Though bigger isn’t always better, you may simply need to add spaces to your parking area to increase efficiency. This suggestion won’t always work since you need to have access to the extra land.
If you do have space, though, you may want to consider an expansion so guests always have a place to park on the property’s grounds. It may also help to add different types of parking spots to increase accessibility.
7. Organize by Vehicle Size
It may be beneficial to organize the parking lot or garage by size. If anything, you should try to designate spots specifically for certain vehicles, such as larger spaces for trucks and SUVs. Try not to fill the area with only average-sized slots, which causes people with big cars to park over the lines.
Instead, you should consider all sizes, from large to small. Almost all vehicles fall into standard sizes you can use to design your parking lot or garage. This way, you’ll create a better experience for everyone who visits your property.
Try These Suggestions for Better Parking
Many people don’t realize that parking directly impacts how employees and patrons view their business. If you lack a safe, efficient environment, you can potentially experience a few negative repercussions. Therefore, you’ll want to ensure your building’s parking situation works for everyone and provides a safe and positive experience.
Author Bio:
Oscar Collins is the managing editor at Modded. He writes about cars, fitness, the outdoors and more. Follow @TModded on Twitter for more articles from the Modded team.
