The Value of Pavement Marking

The value of pavement marking (and sealcoating) is clear.
The value of pavement marking (and sealcoating) is clear.

In this issue we document three contractors and the on-road pavement marking jobs. Advanced Pavement Marking’s correction last year of roundabout striping in Michigan (page 19), RoadSafe Traffic Systems 3,600 lane miles of restriping in Tennessee (page 24), and an upcoming project in which Virginia’s A Annandale will restripe 80 million feet of road striping by the end of the season (page 14)

As you read the articles and glance at the photos the value of pavement marking becomes clear. Centerlines to separate traffic, edge lines to delineate the safe driving lane, bead application to meet specs for retroreflectivity, special directional arrows to get traffic through a roundabout, and reroute traffic safely around a work zone. It’s easy to see the value of pavement marking on roads.

But what about parking lots? How important is pavement marking in a commercial parking lot? In recent years many property owners put off pavement maintenance work during the slack economy – they figured they could wait a year to cracksealing or sealcoat. But they also tried to get through a year (and based on the look of a lot of parking lots even longer) without restriping.

What’s the value in that?

Where it’s easy to see the value of pavement marking on roads the value of pavement marking on parking lots might be less obvious. But it shouldn’t be. Purely from an aesthetic standpoint a newly striped parking lot just looks great. It makes the property appealing to people driving by and makes it more likely they’ll turn in for a visit. A nicely striped parking lot also is more inviting to prospective tenants. Just like people prefer to buy or rent a house that’s in good shape, people prefer to visit or lease retail space in a property that looks well maintained.

But that’s not even the most-important value. The biggest reason to restripe a parking lot is safety. We dare say that every one of us has pulled into a parking lot and wondered which way to drive. Where does the traffic flow? Are there drive lanes? Can I park in front of the building or is that a No Parking zone? Where are the handicap stalls?

A commercial, industrial or residential parking lot simply isn’t “finished” until the pavement has been restriped. And considering that striping is possibly the least-costly maintenance upgrade a property owner can make it’s pretty easy to see that it can be the improvement that can provide the greatest value.

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