As the heart of winter approaches, many businesses are gearing up to deal with heavy snowfalls and clear their lots. Now is the time to stock up on supplies and update your parking solutions for the winter. If you’re looking for ways to help protect your parking lot this winter, keep reading to learn five ways to prepare.
Prepare Ways To Combat Ice
When snow melts and re-freezes, it can lead to an icy disaster across the surface of your parking lot. Layers of ice lead to automobile accidents and make it dangerous for patrons to navigate your lot or building. Fortunately, there are ways to combat ice buildup in your lot or structure. If your parking lot is on the smaller side, you can scatter salt deicers across your lot in advance to melt ice and snow. If you manage a larger lot or parking structure, you may want to hire a deicing service to cover the larger ground. There are also asphalt-friendly ice-melting liquids on the market. Some businesses even sprinkle sand to manage ice and snow.
Protect Parking Surfaces
While salt and these other methods are helpful for removing ice, they can also damage your parking lot’s surface. Over the course of the season, the combination of snow, salt, plowing, and regular vehicle wear and tear can leave potholes and cracks in your parking lot. To prevent as much damage as possible, prepare your lot or parking structure by scheduling a professional seal coating application. The protective seal will provide a barrier throughout the winter to protect the surface of your lot and ensure it will remain visually appealing once winter has passed.
Schedule Plow Services
To help prevent melting snow and ice in the first place, make sure that your parking lot is part of a plowing schedule. If you have a small or private business, you may want to consider hiring a plowing service or investing in your own plow attachment. Be proactive when it comes to shoveling and plowing, especially on business days.
Prevent Garage Collapses
When it comes to garages or any type of parking structure, one of the biggest concerns during the winter is the possibility of collapse. Snowfall collapses can be a danger to any parking garage, whether you have traditional parking spaces or utilize automated vertical car parking systems. To prevent the risk of your structure collapsing, perform constant roof inspections during the winter months. If you notice snowfall starting to pile up on your roof, consider hiring a professional to remove the excess snow. Even one foot of snow can pose a significant danger, especially for older structures.
Offer Underground Car Parking
One of the best ways to prevent winter conditions from affecting your parking lot is to skip them entirely. Consider preparing your parking lot for the heart of winter by investing in in-ground car storage. Underground parking solutions offer additional vehicle space without all the hassle of above-ground winter conditions. Many in-ground car storage facilities utilize automated technology, which makes parking even more convenient for consumers and businesses alike. Automated vertical car parking systems like these can help increase parking spaces and efficiency.
Now that you know these five tips to prepare your parking lot for winter, you can mitigate winter-related damages and accidents that might occur. If you’re interested in learning more about automated vertical car parking systems, browse our parking solutions here at Harding Steel. We offer high-quality automated parking systems and solutions for any business.