Creating a safe and well-organised parking area not only enhances the overall experience for your clients but also ensures the safety of your visitors’ vehicles and the integrity of your building.
There are various products that can help you achieve a more secure and efficient commercial parking area. The good thing is that many can be retrofitted onto existing car parks to improve your current infrastructure without requiring significant building work.
Here are a few examples of how to improve your car park by installing some additional features.
Access Control Barriers
Let’s start at the door – the entrance to your commercial parking space is important. Access control barriers are the first line of defence for your parking facility. They regulate entry and exit and provide a sense of security and order. Barriers can be manual or automatic, like our SS Barrier in A Box Solution, and can help streamline the entry process for both clients and employees.
In some parking environments, manual barriers are a practical and cost-effective solution. They can be an excellent choice for locations with intermittent or seasonal traffic. Manual barriers are also a good fit for premises, which may need a human layer of security as they allow personnel to inspect vehicles and drivers visually. Due to their hands-on operation, they are a great security tool for guards or parking attendants to manage entry points.
Manual barriers are versatile and allow quick adjustments to accommodate varying traffic conditions or special events.
Bollards and Parking Posts
Bollards and parking posts serve multiple purposes, from protecting storefronts and building entrances to controlling vehicle access. They are indispensable tools in effective parking control – they mark specific spots, restrict access, and prevent unauthorised parking where you don’t want vehicles to stop. They serve a dual purpose of security and traffic management and act as a first line of defence against unauthorised access and potential vehicular collisions.
Bollards are generally permanent and non-permanent. The permanent ones are fixed to the ground, and the removable or retractable ones can be put up when needed and removed when not or lowered in the ground, depending on your model. These fantastic tools can be used around entrances, bearing columns, walkways and other critical areas to protect buildings and safeguard pedestrians. Permanent bollards and parking posts can also be very useful in guiding traffic and clearly demarcating your space.
Retractable or removable bollards can be placed strategically to make specific parking spaces unavailable to general visitors but immediately available if a need arises or a special vehicle, like a delivery truck, arrives. This way, they allow you to control access to specific zones within the parking area.
Whether retractable or fixed, parking posts provide flexibility in designating parking spaces, managing traffic flow, and adapting to changing operational needs. Combining bollards and parking posts creates a comprehensive safety, functionality, and design approach in your commercial parking space.
Traffic Control Ramps
Effective traffic management is paramount in creating a safe and efficient commercial parking space. Speed ramps and traffic flow plates play crucial roles in achieving this goal.
Speed ramps are instrumental in regulating vehicle speeds within the parking area, reducing the risk of accidents and ensuring a controlled traffic flow. They are an excellent addition before your entrance and can be strategically placed throughout the facility to ensure drivers keep their engines from revving too much. These ramps encourage people to keep to a safe speed and help make your car park low-risk for pedestrians and vehicles alike.
To complement your speed control efforts, you can install traffic flow plates to help guide vehicles along designated pathways, optimise traffic within the parking space, and ensure it flows in the desired direction. These plates are designed to enhance directional organisation, preventing congestion and streamlining the movement of cars. Together, speed ramps and traffic flow plates contribute to a well-orchestrated parking layout and make it easier for your clients, employees or visitors to have a smooth and orderly experience.
Column Protectors and Hoop Barriers
Preserving the structural integrity of your commercial parking space is just as important as the safety of the cars and drives using it. This is why installing some column protectors and hoop barriers is always recommended.
Column protectors act as robust shields, mitigating the risk of damage caused by accidental collisions between vehicles and structural elements such as columns. By absorbing the impact, the protectors prevent costly repairs and improve the overall durability of your parking facility.
Hoop barriers, meanwhile, can serve a dual purpose. They can be fitted in strategic places to guide traffic – both car and pedestrian and delineate specific zones within the parking area. They can also be used in a similar fashion to the column protectors – to stop or at least take the force out of any potential impact.
Here, like with the bollards, you can go for permanent or removable hoop barriers. Removable ones offer you flexibility and can be used to organise traffic and access differently temporarily.
Whether you use them to create pedestrian walkways or to mark reserved parking spaces, hoop barriers contribute to a visually organised and well-structured environment. Consider incorporating both column protectors and hoop barriers into your parking infrastructure for a comprehensive approach to protection and traffic management.
By implementing these products – from access control barriers at the entrance to bollards and parking posts within the facility – you can significantly improve your commercial parking space's safety, organisation, and overall functionality. Remember that a well-designed and secure parking area enhances the client experience and contributes to your business's overall success.