6 tips to implement your parking policy in your company parking lot

November 10, 2020

In a context where car travel is becoming ubiquitous, especially during commutes, parking is proving to be a real challenge. When we know that 5% to 10% of urban traffic is generated by vehicles looking for parking and that parking represents 95% of a car's life, we understand the importance of parking.

In the working world, company parking lots represent a considerable resource that must be managed in the best possible way in order to obtain the satisfaction of its users. A parking policy may be necessary to meet this challenge and thus manage the mobility of your employees, achieve a modal shift towards more sustainable modes of transport and promote equity within your teams. In this article, you will discover tips to implement a parking policy adapted to your company parking lot.

Tips to develop a parking policy adapted to your company parking lot

Define an objective for your parking policy

It is important to have an objective in mind when defining your parking policy, as the manner in which you develop rules and procedures will depend on that objective. 

For example, you can focus your efforts on a modal shift to more sustainable modes of transportation. You can encourage your employees who are willing and able to do so to change their transportation habits.

Another goal may be to free up some space for employees who have no alternative but to drive to work, visitors, or clients. By choosing the type of access adapted to each person, you will be able to distribute the spaces, allocate them, define permanent and occasional spaces for your employees and finally optimize the occupation of the parking lot.

Notify employees of upcoming changes

By notifying your employees in advance that a change is about to happen, you can prepare them and explain the new parking arrangements they will be facing. Keeping them informed about this parking modernization will allow them to better assimilate the new rules and issues and to feel included in the decision-making process. Appropriate preparation will avoid questions and misunderstandings on the part of all users.

Understanding your employees' mobility habits

By asking your employees the right questions regarding their mobility habits, you will become aware of the needs, the margins of adaptation and the requirements of each one. Some of them will be willing to accept a modal shift towards bicycles, for example, in exchange for a bicycle parking space, while others will not be able to do without a car but will agree, for example, to gradually organize carpooling.

Finally, you can ask your employees whether their home-to-work trips can be made by public transportation. It is also necessary to take into account the imperatives and necessities of each individual, thinking of people with reduced mobility or those who have no choice but to drop their children off at school on the way to work and who are obliged to use the car. In short, communication with your employees can be the key to managing your parking policy.

Determine the traffic within the parking lot 

By analyzing the traffic in your parking lot, you will be able to detect problems and shortcomings. By identifying the challenges that you face, you will be able to plan the implementation of appropriate solutions.

You can, for example, examine:

  • The total number of workers (and visitors)
  • Number of workers driving to work
  • The attendance rate
  • The occupancy rate of the parking lot

This and other data will help you understand how to put in place a parking policy adapted to your needs. 

Find other questions to ask yourself when developing your parking policy here.

Using parking management software

Parking management software exists to allow you to manage your parking policy in the best possible way. This gives you the opportunity to efficiently and effectively implement your parking policy within your company parking lot. The use of this software will give you the opportunity to improve user satisfaction and save time and money. 

Thanks to this type of software, you can give each of your employees the ability to reserve and use the parking lot when they need it, but always according to the priority usage rules that you will have defined beforehand. The digital management of your parking lots allows you to obtain absolute flexibility in terms of management and to have all your parking lots within a click's reach, grouped together in the same tool.

Set up a regular follow-up to evaluate your performance

Setting up a follow-up action allows you to see how things are progressing in your parking lot. You can also collect the impressions of your employees to determine their level of satisfaction and to be able to program possible adjustments. Implementing a parking policy in your parking lot can be a big change, which is why it is essential to listen to users to understand how to make it really fit their needs and make it an ideal solution.

You now have tips to implement the parking policy adapted to your company parking lot. Implementing this policy can be extremely useful for many reasons, such as saving time for the HR department, better employee satisfaction and fewer complaints. Having a parking policy is a good thing, but implementing it correctly, with the right objectives and actions is a very important point to follow through on. This is why the last step, the follow-up, is essential for the proper functioning of such a policy. If you are interested in learning how BePark can help, contact us via this form to find out more!

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