Do you remember the last time you swerved around a large pothole in a parking lot? The large crater may have not only taken your attention, but there was an automatic emotion that likely happened in you about feeling bothered by the extra maneuvering it required of you.
Just like you, clients or tenants in your building probably don’t bypass them, either. In fact, it’s the first impression they develop when arriving at your building or facility. Potholes, or even cracks in the pavement, can speak louder than words. It may say to the guest that the building owner or facility manager doesn’t care about guests, their safety, nor the toll it can take on cars. To top it off, if your building’s parking lot has multiple potholes – small or large – that take up front-row spots, it may put your guest in the wrong mood before they even walk in the door.
How Do Potholes Happen?
Think about the varying weather patterns – especially the transition from winter to spring. The asphalt tends to expand and contracts with fluctuating temperatures. In turn, this causes the pavement to weaken and collapse from the weight of cars and foot traffic.
READ: 5 Things You Would Never Guess About Parking Lots
And believe it or not, potholes can also happen in warmer climates where there isn’t such an extreme transition from winter to spring. This is the case when heat causes pavement to crack, letting water seep in and stay. When the sun comes out, that water is then dried up through those cracks, leaving empty air pockets in the sub-surface layers. As cars and foot traffic repeatedly go over these weak areas, erosion begins. The top layer begins to droop due to those empty pockets, eventually collapsing and crumbling to form a pothole.
The Damage to Cars is a Bigger Deal Than You May Realize
Sure, the jolt you experience from a pothole is enough to cause frustration for clientele, employees, or guests, but there’s likely more damage going on to cars than just people’s emotions.
In fact, according to a news report last year, American drivers on average report paying $300 to repair pothole-related vehicle damage.
WATCH: Time-Lapse Video That Shows Just How Much Traffic Goes Through a Business Parking Lot
Watch the video* below to see what’s happening to cars when building owners or facility managers neglect to fix potholes in parking lots.
*Please note the video above is for educational and informative purposes and process may vary from client to client. City Wide does not endorse the company nor user who made the video.
What Can You Do to Prevent Potholes or Repair Them?
As soon as you begin to see cracks forming in your building or facility’s parking lot, it’s time to call City Wide. The longer you wait could end up costing you more money. Better yet, contact City Wide before cracks happen, to determine a preventative maintenance plan.
No matter what condition or attention your needs, City Wide can schedule a wide array of parking lot services – everything from asphalt patching and sealcoating to sweeping and more.
Contact one of our City Wide locations, found in both the United States and Canada.
