Whether a commercial lot provides parking for tenants, customers, or employees, it must offer more than just a place for people to leave their cars. The lot must also provide a safe environment for vehicles, pedestrians, and cyclists. Unfortunately, about 500 deaths occur annually in parking lots nationwide, according to the National Safety Council. When selecting an asphalt paving company to reconstruct, maintain, or construct your parking lot, make sure that you choose a contractor who understands the importance of a safe, efficient lot.
Why Safety Is Essential in Commercial Asphalt Paving
Why Should I Care About the Safety of My Commercial Paving?
Aside from the ethical considerations, you should be concerned about the safety of your parking lot for financial reasons. You could find yourself as a defendant in a personal injury suit. One legal principle that will likely come into play is that there is a responsibility to provide a safe environment for guests, including customers or tenants. If the injured party is one of your employees, you could also be dealing with a workers’ compensation claim. Legally, a parking lot on your property is your responsibility, and an employee injury does not need to be work-related to qualify. If you are a retailer, an unsafe parking lot could also lose revenue if customers decide to take their business elsewhere.
What Is the First Step in Creating a Safe Asphalt Parking Lot?
The first step is to choose an experienced, knowledgeable, paving company with an excellent reputation. Your contractor will determine the best locations for the lot’s exits and entrances and the traffic patterns to optimize efficient travel. This parking angle is appropriate for your specific needs, the type and placement of traffic signs, and various other aspects that could affect your parking lot’s safety and the longevity of your pavement.
If I Have an Existing Parking Lot, How Do I Enhance Its Safety?
A professional parking lot maintenance program can help you enhance and maintain safety. Potholes and cracks can result in injuries to pedestrians or cyclists, but pavement breaks can also reduce the life of your pavement. Ask your contractor to repair any significant cracks or potholes as soon as possible. You should also schedule a sealcoating procedure periodically; sealcoating enhances traction on wet pavements and is a highly effective and economical way to prolong your parking lot’s life. You also need to make sure that your parking lot striping and pavement markings are intact and visible.
What Other Steps Can I Take to Improve Parking Lot Safety?
Replace or repair damaged or worn traffic signs. Inspect your parking lot for blind corners and take steps to eliminate them. Visit your parking lot at night to check on the effectiveness of your lighting, including its ability to eliminate shadows that could conceal criminals. You might want to consider installing speed bumps to encourage drivers to slow down, and you might also want to install car stops to prevent drivers from pulling through parking spaces or cutting across parking aisles.
Why Should I Choose Alpha Paving?
We are a full-service Austin paving contractor with our offices in Round Rock. Our services include installing and resurfacing asphalt pavements, asphalt crack repairs, concrete work, sealcoating, parking lot striping, asphalt milling, street maintenance, speed bump, and car stop installation, road construction, thermoplastic pavement markings, and parking lot signs. We have an unblemished reputation for craftsmanship, customer service, dependability, and integrity. Our customers in Central Texas include hospitals and other health care facilities, retailers and shopping centers, apartment complexes, airports, municipalities, office parks, religious institutions, industrial facilities, restaurants, and educational facilities. For a free quote, call 512-677-9001 or submit the online form.