5 Reasons Why Your Project Needs Off-Site Parking
Ruth Goodwin
At any given time, construction sites can have hundreds or even thousands of contractors working on site at the same time, creating a huge demand for parking spaces.
In most cases, subcontractors and individual workers are left to find convenient off-site parking on their own for the duration of their time on the project.
The best-case scenario for these contractor teams is when there is ample parking on nearby city streets, or perhaps getting lucky to lease spaces with a nearby building or plaza. The worst-case scenario, which is far more common, is when they are unable to find convenient and affordable parking, and end up overpaying for expensive daily parking. Even worse, contractors are often late to the job site due to having to search for and park far away, wasting hourly wages each morning.
Reliable off-site parking mitigates these financial and operational risks in the following ways:
Efficiency
Job-site efficiency is at the forefront of every general contractors’ priorities when planning for a new project. Having convenient off-site parking for the various work crews is an important part of the equation when working on site logistics. It’s not uncommon for subcontractor teams to be late to the job site as a result of looking for parking. This is critical, because every work delay results in lost time on site, which cuts into budgets after paying wages and overtime.
Worker Satisfaction
By providing your subcontractors dependable off-site parking, it leaves them less to worry about when coming to a project. This reflects well on the general contractor by demonstrating good organization and logistical planning. By removing the need to find their own parking, workers are also more likely to show up to site with better energy and morale as nobody enjoys driving around searching for parking. Most importantly, more satisfied people perform better work.
Save Money
When it comes to costs for parking, paying daily rates will add up quickly and cost more than monthly parking. Additionally, you can often negotiate a cheaper monthly rate by factoring in a large group of parkers and long duration. This is common for construction projects as they often need a large number of spots for long durations.
Flexibility
Off-site parking can also be flexible to accommodate different phases of the project, where the number of workers on the job site can vary quite a bit. Beyond parking, it is also not atypical to need additional space for other things such as lay down materials, truck staging, and even covid-testing sites. Having a versatile parking area that can cater to all of the use cases mentioned above provides great flexibility for general contractors.Keep the Neighbors Happy
No contractor wants to deal with angry residents of the local community, or neighboring businesses. Typical complaints involve illegal parking in the streets or business plazas, and about noise from workers gathering outside their vehicles who often show up before 6AM. This can all be prevented by providing a dedicated off-site parking lot for teams to use. Waiting until vehicles get towed or ticketed by local enforcement isn’t worth it.
The five reasons above demonstrate why most projects benefit from off-site parking, and the importance of reliable parking as a benefit to your construction project. Securing this in advance will prevent a lot of headaches and stress down the road and save your firm money, so don’t overlook it.
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Aaron Hall is the Construction Lead for WhereiPark. He develops custom parking/mobility solutions for construction company’s looking to optimize site logistics and efficiency. He’s worked with the some of the nation’s largest contractors such as HITT Contracting, Brasfield & Gorrie, and Holder Construction to source parking spaces, organize shuttle services, find laydown space, and more.