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Parking lots are busy environments. Daily, vehicle operators, pedestrians, and delivery trucks bump into one another in the parking lane. Given the continuous motion in the parking lot, there is always the potential for a situation to become confusing, even dangerous. Striping and layout are responsible for directing flow and indicating pedestrian walkways and accessible spaces. Reflective paint goes a step farther with improved visibility after dark and in inclement weather. As such, reflective paint is an option every facility manager and business owner should consider.
Benefits of Reflective Paint
Reflective paint is designed to bounce light back to its source, often car headlights, to enhance the visibility of striping in the dark. This technology makes it easier for vehicle operators to see where to park, stop, and yield at night. Standard paint only indicates a position in a parking lot; reflective coatings are more critical for reducing confusion and accidents. To know more, read more on this page.
Benefits of reflective paint include:
- Stronger visual cues for vehicle operators pulling into a space or backing out of a space
- Improved vehicle operator and pedestrian safety at pedestrian crossings, as reflective lines stand out even in the rain at night
- Reduced confusion in the flow of traffic at entry and exit points, thereby reducing bottlenecking events and near-miss incidents
For the business or facility manager, reflectively striped parking lots create an image of professionalism. A well-marked parking lot improves safety but also makes a better first impression on customers, and visitors. When combined with normal sealcoating and paving work, reflective paint enhances the safety of property along with its appearance. Striping is, in many regards, operational and aesthetic for improving the entire parking lot.
Nighttime Visibility Issues
The parking lot becomes a liability when the sun disappears. If the parking lot is poorly marked, either by fading paint or no reflective lines at all, it becomes nearly impossible to see fire lanes, crosswalks or one-way markings. In turn, this becomes a problem when drivers find themselves driving the wrong direction, along with blocked access for emergency vehicles and cars drifting out of their parking space.
Business owners who utilize parking lot striping Nashville can rest easy knowing that a well-marked lot keeps their property safe 24/7. The touch of reflective paint to a parking lot in conjunction with good lighting adds a layer of safety for nighttime customers and visitors.
For example, a shopping center with reflective striping offers a reliable parking lot for late-night shoppers and patrons to move about with confidence, contrary to a poorly illuminated parking lot with faded markings that would offer no assurance for parking lot safety. More importantly, reasonable customer safety at any hour of the day relies on utilizing the best quality quad reflectively painted parking lot striping. This added layer of safety is important for surrounding business properties that are frequented at night, such as restaurants, medical establishments, and convenience stores.
ADA Compliance and Safety
The Health Department does not have a choice when it comes to being ADA (Americans with Disabilities Act) compliant… it’s the law. Reflective paint that clearly strips accessible parking stalls, loading zone, or crosswalk in a space that is typically dark, twilight, or rainy ensures individuals with mobility issues can safely move through the lot without distraction or confusion.
For property owners, ADA compliance equates to a lower risk of liability. Failure to follow parking lot regulations can result in fines or lawsuits. More importantly, providing a defined parking lot clearly demonstrates a commitment to inclusivity and customer safety.
While reflective paint serves a myriad of purposes in designated areas, some of the main purposes are to:
- Make handicap accessible spaces visible at all times
- Mark no parking fire lanes for emergency services
- Direct drivers towards the appropriate routes for dedicated pick up and delivery zones
By prioritizing ADA compliant design and safety components, business owners are providing safety to customers and creating a more dispatchable property. While keeping markings intact is often of equal importance to the pavement itself. For more information, take a look at https://www.ada.gov/law-and-regs/design-standards/.
Paint Choices for Durability
There aren’t a ton of types of traffic paint. There are reflective types, durable thermoplastic or epoxy blends built for long-term use, designed to resist fading from UV rays, snow, and rain. Painting with the right product can reduce the amount of times you have to restripe and maintain a nice clean finish of the lot.
Before paving contractors can perform their work, they typically advise a series of job site contingencies:
- Clean the asphalt or concrete surface to remove any dirt and oils
- Apply paint under dry conditions and at appropriate surface temperatures
- Allow paint to cure to achieve maximum durability
High quality paint will save money over the long term by lasting longer and requiring fewer touch ups. When it is applied in conjunction with professional driveway paving and sealcoating, the striping can keep a crisp/reflective look for years. Long-term reliability is a great reason for many property managers to upgrade to reflective options, instead of standard paints.
Striping Maintenance Tips
Even reflective paint will eventually wear down due to traffic, weather, and normal aging. Regular maintenance will help ensure the parking lot remains functional and safe. Property managers should plan for restriping every one to two years, depending on traffic volume in the lot.
Helpful maintenance practices may also include:
- Reviewing or inspecting the striping every few months to check for fading
- Scheduling restriping immediately after the sealcoating has been completed for best results
- Updating layouts as new ADA standards or changing traffic flow needs may present
A good example of striping maintenance is a retail store repainting their parking lot every 18 months. Maintaining striping, in this case, will also ensure better safety for customers when navigating the store’s parking lot while also preventing complaints. While reflective paint does help with extending time between touch ups, no striping is forever, so consistent striping maintenance is the secret to long-term safety.
Reflective paint maintenance is about a lot more than appearances—it is about safety. A maintained parking lot will help reduce accidents, create organization, and more importantly demonstrate to customers that the property owner is concerned about their experience. Over time, maintaining these details will safeguard the pavement investment and support the overall success of the proprietor’s business.
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