How to plan ahead and ensure there is always enough parking for your customers during busy times.
The festive period might be over, but the respite for your car park won’t last very long, particularly if your business sees a rise in footfall during school breaks and public holidays.
Arriving before you know it will be the February half term holiday, during the middle of the month, and this is quickly followed by the two-week Easter break, which this year falls in April (Easter Sunday is on April 20th). May half term is next up at the end of that month, and then it’s just a few short weeks until the long summer holidays start.
In addition, there are several ‘celebration’ days to consider, of special note to those in the retail and hospitality sectors. They include Valentine’s Day on Friday February 14th, Mother’s Day on Sunday March 30, and Father’s Day on Sunday, June 15, 2025.
During extended busy periods it’s likely that your car park will be close to capacity, so it’s important to ensure there’s always adequate parking for those who genuinely need it. The last thing you want is rattled customers driving away and leaving negative reviews online due to parking issues.
The actions you can take to prepare your car park
By actioning these tips, car park owners can improve operational efficiency, enhance customer satisfaction, and minimise stress for all visitors during busy periods.
- Optimise your parking area
We always recommend you begin by looking at your current car park and seeing if there are any opportunities for improvement. Is there potential to create additional spaces? We’re not talking about building a multi-story here! Perhaps you could reduce wastage by switching to angled parking spaces? Or you could add a dedicated area for motorbikes, so owners don’t need to occupy a full-sized space? It’s worth considering all options, as every extra space created is an asset.
- Provide advance notice
If you’re heading towards a known busy period, it’s a good idea to inform your customers ahead of time. This could be in the form of a quick message through email or social media. You could take things further by incentivising them to visit at less busy times, by offering a special deal or money off voucher. If you manage a paid car park, you could even reduce tariffs during off-peak periods - Plan for overflow parking
This won’t work for every business, but could you arrange overflow parking areas for peak periods? Maybe you could partner with neighbouring businesses and offer additional parking on underutilised land? This could just be on a strictly temporary basis during school holidays or other busy times. - Stamp out unauthorised parking
If you offer free unmonitored parking, you will likely attract non-customers taking advantage of your generosity. This could include commuters, nearby office workers, or students at local colleges. This can be frustrating – doubly so if it means genuine visitors can’t park. We recommend monitoring your car park and trying to spot repeat offenders, i.e. the same vehicles, at the same times, for similar durations. Rather than confronting the driver, in the first instance we’d recommend leaving a short note on their window screens, politely explaining that your car park is for customers only. - Review your signage
Linked to the above point: offenders may be blissfully unaware they’re doing anything wrong. As such, make sure that you have installed on-site signage that outlines your conditions (i.e. “Customer Parking Only”). Always check that your signs are well positioned and easy to read and understand, being conscious that poor light and bad weather can reduce visibility. - Maximise space turnover
This is key to improving operational efficiency. Ideally you want to churn your parking spaces throughout the day – someone parks, visits your business, and leaves, then another visitor takes their space. Rinse and repeat. A great way to ensure this happens is to use maximum stay parking, where it’s free to park but only for a specified amount of time. This could range from 30 minutes to three hours, depending on your type of business. As a deterrent, anyone who stays longer than the allotted time (plus mandatory grace period) faces a parking charge.
Need a helping hand?
Creative Car Park is the UK’s leading car park management company for small-to-medium businesses, and we currently manage more than 2,100 car parks for businesses just like yours.
If you would like help in managing your car park – not just at peak times, but throughout the year – then please contact us. Using our intelligent ANPR camera systems, we can introduce maximum stay parking and authorised parking (where users register for free parking) at your site. We also offer a cashless pay to park solution which promotes space turnover while also providing a regular income stream.
