Why Striping? – Commercial Parking Structures

There you are again, driving up and down several stories of a commercial parking structure, looking for that one space that’s actually available. As you turn the corner, you think you see an open spot behind an extended bed truck, but as you get closer, the truth appears: there’s a compact car parked right up to the curb. There’s no way you could’ve seen that coming…….

…….Or is there? A well laid-out parking lot may not prevent every possibility of an extended bed F-150, much like our equipment, being in front of a motorcycle, but can ensure adequate line lengths that cars have both sufficient space to maintain order, but also not so much that there’s a large gap between the access aisle and curb.

There are additional lay-outs! The most common is a single line dividing parking stalls. However, putting 2 lines down can reduce compressed areas and help account for the lengthy steering radius of some larger vehicles.

As for turning around corners, marking out no parking zones and showing the general curvature of a turn will help control traffic in a safe and methodical manner. A driver sees a marked off area and implicitly wants to avoid it, especially for cramped spaces, these outside barriers help keep drivers inside the lines.

Then there are decals. Number Stenciling to indicate the floor or the spot to make it easier for Customers to remember where they parked by taking a picture or writing it down (if anyone even carries a pen and notepad anymore). Don’t want plain ol’ numbers and lettering? How about cool logos? Palm trees? Footballs? Paint Brushes? Tacos?!? The possibilities are endless. These can help designate proximity to a certain floor of a shopping mall, administrative building, or more.

Although the purpose of a Commercial Parking Structure is for one purpose only, there are many ways to improve upon that experience and streamline operations while providing a fantastical twist on the ordinary!