There’s nothing quite like the sleek look of yellow stripes on fresh black concrete. Unfortunately, those bright stripes will fade overtime. This fading creates not just an aesthetic concern but also a serious issue. Line striping in a commercial parking lot must be clear to prevent confusion and potential accidents. But when are the lines too faded? How often should you re-stripe your commercial parking lot and why is it so important?
ADA requirements demand that line striping in commercial parking lots must be clear and visible. Accessible parking spaces and other designations must be easily discernible to those using the lot. As the ADA is a federal law, adhering to its standards is a serious legal issue. (For more information on ADA parking lot requirements, check out our blog post on the subject).
Unclear parking lot striping is a safety issue as well as a legal one. Faded line striping can cause confusion for those operating vehicles. For example, loading zones in a parking lot are often designated for commercial vehicles only. If this designation becomes unclear, unauthorized vehicles could mistakenly drive and park in those areas. This could endanger both employees and customers. When several vehicles are present in a contained space, clear direction is crucial. Business owners have a responsibility to ensure the safety of their parking lots with visible line striping.
While aesthetics may not be as important as safety, business owners should also keep customer experience in mind. The parking lot is the first impression a business makes on its potential customers. When these potential customers are frustrated and confused by the faded and unclear lines in the lot it negatively affects business. Re-striping regularly will improve the customer’s experience and create a better first impression.
With these legal and safety concerns in mind, it is important for business owners to re-stripe their parking lots regularly. As a general rule, lots should be re-striped every 2 to 3 years. However, the weather and amount of traffic that stresses the parking lot in question could affect that timeline, either shortening or lengthening it. Regardless of guidelines, if your lines are faded, difficult to see and causing confusion, you should not wait to have them re-striped. A clearly marked commercial lot eliminates serious legal and safety issues and improves the customer’s’ experience. Contact DC Construction Services today to schedule a re-striping.