Preventing Accidents in the Parking Lot in Rainy Spring

April showers bring May flowers but they also lead to a greater likelihood of parking lot accidents.

Parking lots can be tricky enough to navigate on dry days, so drivers rely on visibile road markings and signage to help them go in the right directions and avoid bumping into other cars, obstacles, or worse, pedestrians. 

But navigating becomes harder in wet weather because rain has a serious effect on visibility. Living in our wet climate, this is something we’ve all experienced and know firsthand. Road markers become harder to see. Pedestrians become harder to see. Our field of view narrows to the area cleared by windshield wipers, making our peripheral vision less useful. And what we do see is distorted by all that water–on the ground, on the windshield, in the air.

Enhancing visibility through road markings and signage is important because of our rainy spring. This makes parking lot maintenance a priority to help prevent accidents. It is most effective as a routine part of springtime property maintenance, because paint and signage tends to get worn down or damaged over winter.

Parking lot maintenance tasks that improve visibility

• Refresh road paint that was worn down over winter
• Make sure directional arrows, stall lines, and pedestrian lanes are freshly marked
• Replace burnt out bulbs to maintain good lighting
• Ensure drains and grates are not clogged so rainwater can drain freely to reduce flood risk
• Repair damaged parking surfaces and signage
• Remove debris and undesirable obstacles
• Use contrasting colours and reflective paint where appropriate

Parking lots can be a bit challenging to move through at times and rain can make it dangerous. Preventative property maintenance improves visibility, takes the guesswork out of navigation, and increases safety for drivers and pedestrians alike.

 Always Clean Maintenance offers professional parking lot maintenance for commercial and residential properties, including strata complexes and apartment buildings. Give us a call at 604-789-1256 for a free quote.