As a responsible commercial property owner who manages a parking lot, it should come as no surprise that crisp parking lot striping has an essential role in safety and security.
That's why using a blueprint with an optimized layout is always best for keeping guests, customers, employees, or residents safe.
Clearly striped parking spots, directional arrows, and crosswalks help reduce the odds of accidents taking place. The more directions you provide, the easier you make it for parking lot users to understand what they're supposed to do.
Tips For Creating A Better Parking Lot
No two commercial parking areas and lots are the same. For this reason, choosing a professional parking lot striping company like Semper Fi Striping helps ensure your layout gets optimized for use.
By doing so, parking lot owners can avert traffic jams and other types of mishaps. For example, the dimensions of your parking lot could be better suited for parallel parking areas, 90-degree parking, or 45-degree parking, or 60-degree parking for one-way traffic areas.
First, determine the dimensions for each parking space. A standard stall is often 9X18 feet. However, these spaces can be larger or smaller to best accommodate compact cars or oversized trucks.
Regardless of the size you choose for your stalls, parking lot lines and stripes need to be 4 inches wide and 15 millimeters thick to meet compliance requirements.
It's also essential to account for reserved parking. By law, parking lot owners must provide a set amount of parking spaces for disabled guests to meet ADA requirements and avoid fines.
Other reserved spots worth considering include places for first responders, expectant mothers, or curbside pickup services, which make your parking area more convenient and safe for visitors.
Parking lot owners have a choice of using either solvent oil or water-based paint. Oil-based paint tends to be more expensive; however, this paint tends to have more endurance than water-based striping paints.
Getting Ready For The Striping
After determining the best blueprint and layout, you'll want to be sure the entire surface is clean so that fresh striping adheres to the asphalt.
Additionally, you'll want to ensure that any minor repairs such as potholes or cracked asphalt get fixed before applying new stripes. By doing so, you're taking steps to avoid uneven or poorly adhered parking lot striping.
Other areas to inspect while you're assessing your parking lot include overhead lighting, speed bumps, signage, and sidewalks for any visible damages that could pose potential liabilities.
Other steps you'll need to take include alerting parking lot users of limited availability or creating alternative parking options.
If you have a parking lot that requires striping in the Fort Worth, Texas area, please reach out to the experts at Semper Fi Striping today.