If you’re new to owning a business in the Midwest, you should prepare for the winter season. Winter conditions create headaches and extra problems for parking solutions and maintenance this time of year. Keep reading to learn about some of the biggest winter parking lot risks and how your business can address them.
Icy conditions
The winter season brings ice and snow to many parts of the country, especially here in the Midwest. Icy conditions make driving difficult on any surface, including traditional asphalt parking lots. Melting snow can quickly freeze into ice and cause trouble for drivers and pedestrians alike.
Slippery conditions make it harder to stop your vehicle and traverse parking lots. Poor driving in the snowy weather could cause accidents and collisions throughout your business’s parking lot. Plus, pedestrians trying to take shelter indoors could slip and fall.
Low visibility and fewer parking spaces
During or after a heavy snowfall, if your city’s plows are delayed and overworked, they might not be able to clear your parking lot promptly. If your parking spaces are covered with snow, customers will have a harder time parking between the lines.
This leads to dangerous and less orderly parking and could reduce your number of parking spaces. The winter conditions and deicing salt can also cause parking lot paint to fade faster, which creates the same issues.
Parking lot wear and tear
Fading parking lines aren’t the only issues to worry about when it comes to winter wear and tear. Winter weather can damage asphalt parking lots, causing cracks, erosion and seal coating to fade.
You may notice your business’s parking lot is a bit more uneven after the winter season. This is due to the temperature changes causing the foundation to expand and contract, which disrupts the surface of your lot and causes potholes.
Experts recommend resealing and servicing your parking lot before winter to strengthen it against these conditions.
How to address winter risks
These parking risks affect every parking lot in the Midwest at this time of year. To keep your property and consumers safe, do everything you can to manage these risks.
If your lot is small enough, consider spreading salt to deice the surface yourself. Otherwise, contact your city officials or hire a salting service to handle larger lots.
Another way to avoid icy conditions is to upgrade your parking solutions entirely. For example, there are many benefits of upgrading to sustainable parking options, such as stack and automated parking solutions.
These systems help reduce accidents, create more parking spaces and promote safety for consumers. Plus, sustainable parking can benefit your business all year long, not just during the winter.
Remember these winter parking lot risks and tips for how to address them as we move into the cold season here in the Midwest. By preparing in advance, you can create fewer parking headaches for your business and customers alike.
