Parking is a massive part of your customer’s experience when you own a business or establishment. Parking lot maintenance is integral to ensuring your customers have a good experience at your establishment from start to finish. Neglect or other factors can cause your parking lot to deteriorate, and in some cases, you may have to replace it completely. Proper parking lot maintenance is required to ensure that this doesn’t happen.
What exactly is parking lot maintenance?
Parking lot maintenance consists of various repairs and treatments designed to prolong the life of the pavement. Asphalt, which is used in 90% of all parking lots in the U.S., is susceptible to weathering and damage over time. That damage can render it both unsafe and visually unappealing. As such, regular parking lot maintenance helps preserve property value and ensures personnel, customers, vendors, and visitors are safe while on the premises. Methods used to maintain parking lots include the following:
- Sweeping and cleaning: Regular cleaning removes debris and reveals areas where repairs are needed
- Sealing: Treating asphalt with sealant every couple of years preserves the resilience of pavement and prevents weathering
- Striping: Marks painted on the lot need to be repainted every so often to make sure they remain clear and visible
- Crack filling: Potholes and cracks allow water or debris to penetrate the surface layer, causing further damage if they are not filled in
- Asphalt overlay: Stripping the top layer off the pavement and replacing it with a new layer of asphalt helps extend the life of the pavement while giving a “like new” appearance
- Repaving: Once a parking lot begins to crumble, repaving and reconstructing it is typically the only course. Ideally, this is only necessary once every few decades.
A number of facilities rely on regular parking lot maintenance to keep their premises safe while improving curb appeal.
- Grocery and department stores: Retail facilities tend to have very large parking lots, and keeping those lots maintained is a major factor in minimizing liability from slips, falls, and vehicle accidents
- Commercial plazas: Commercial real estate that accommodates multiple offices, stores, and companies needs to maintain their parking areas in order to preserve safety and property value
- Public buildings: Government buildings, libraries, DMVs, and courthouses all cater to the public. As such, parking areas should be well maintained.
- Factories: Industrial facilities often require plenty of space for large vehicles. These vehicles take their toll on the parking lot, so it requires regular maintenance.
- Warehouses and shipping facilities: Warehouses take shipments delivered by large trucks and trailers, and as such, they need large parking areas. These areas can be very expensive to repair if they’re not properly kept up.
There are many reasons why properly maintenance of your parking lot is good for your customers, good for your employees, and good for your business. Here are a few of the many reasons for a business owner to make sure that their parking lots are well maintained.
First Impressions and curb appeal
We all like to make a good first impression. When it comes to the upkeep of a commercial parking lot, you should maintain it to improve the appearance of your business. When your parking lot looks more appealing, it will attract more customers. If your parking lot is beginning to show signs of wear, an investment in routine maintenance of the lot can keep up the look of your property and ensure that it looks as good on the outside as it does on the inside.
Improved safety for customers and employees
Although many people might view potholes, cracks, and chipped asphalt as a minor inconvenience, they can actually be a threat to your business. Damaged parking lot surfaces pose a risk for customers who could potentially fall and injure themselves on your property.
The last thing any business owner would want is for someone to sustain an injury, especially one that they are liable for. Something as simple as an excess amount of loose gravel can not only wear your parking lot down but can be a risk for injury.
Another threat that damaged asphalt poses to your customers’ safety is increased water pooling. With cracks and holes, water cannot drain from your parking lot properly. Your parking lot already faces fading from the sun and other environmental factors, but excess water can speed this process up dramatically. When elements of your parking lot like crosswalks and parking spaces fade, it can increase the likelihood of an accident, which is a liability for your business.
When water enters cracks and holes in a parking lot, and temperatures are low enough for the water to freeze, those minor cracks can expand and lead to more damage. That’s a potential area of liability. Adding proper drainage can help prevent this sort of incident, but sealing these cracks can also help stop the problem at its source
Routine parking lot maintenance is required to maintain ADA compliance
The Americans with Disabilities Act requires that businesses open to the general public must be accessible to anyone with a disability. To be compliant, maintaining ramps, stripes, and other elements of your parking lot make it possible for these individuals to access your establishment safely. Not only is it essential to protect yourself and your company from an ADA compliance issue, but it also demonstrates to your customers that they are welcome in your space and that their needs are being met.
Traffic flow is improved
In addition to the actual parking lot, regular maintenance is just as necessary for the street leading up to it. This means maintaining lines and preventing potholes to ensure smooth traffic flow. Consider the fact that many lots use lines to indicate the direction of traffic flow. Maintaining these lines, arrows, crosswalks and the like are critical to the safety of your customers.
It’s cost effective for your business
When it comes to parking lot repairs, most will agree that preventative maintenance will save you money in the long run. Proactively packing the asphalt, repainting lines, and monitoring any chips in your parking lots can prevent major damage. The old adage ‘‘a stitch in time saves nine” is certainly apropos in regard to maintaining your parking lot.
Lower tenant turnover
A well maintained and attractive parking lot helps retain tenants. If the lot is in disrepair, it reflects badly on your business, but also on your tenants’ businesses, and they may leave to find a more attractive facility. Keeping your lot in top shape will help to retain their business in the future.
Proper parking lot maintenance can open up more parking
If people are avoiding certain parts of your parking lot due to damage, this may be because people are choosing to avoid your business altogether. Parking lot maintenance can prevent people from having to park tightly together at your establishment. Opening up more parking can attract a wider array of customers and prevent overcrowding that could lead to accidents or other issues.
Final words
The bottom line is this: When it comes to the maintenance of your commercial parking lot, you must make it a safe and attractive place for everyone who wants to visit your business. If you’re looking for a company to repair or perform some preventative maintenance on your parking lot, you can trust the professionals at Cactus Asphalt.
Cactus Asphalt is a Phoenix, AZ-based asphalt paving company well-known for its ability to quickly and efficiently perform both residential and commercial services. For over 39 years, we have provided paving for new construction, seal coating, crack sealing, and more, making us Arizona’s number one name in asphalt paving. We have the experience and resources to ensure that you will make an impression on all who visit your property. We promise to keep our customers happy, which is one reason they keep coming back for additional services. For additional information about our company or the services we offer, visit our website, or contact us at 923-207-8391.