Published: 4th September 2024 Car park security: do you still need a barrier? How do you keep a car park safe? That’s a question we hear a lot. Car parks deal with lots of different security issues. From making sure a site is used purely by legitimate visitors, to combating antisocial behaviour and even dealing with the confrontations that come from people parking where they shouldn’t. These are all issues which take up time to put right and heap unnecessary pressure on visitors and staff alike. But you need more than just a barrier to deal with them. Explore more Is a barrier necessary? In some cases, yes. Such as high-security sites where access must be strictly controlled. Think prisons, specific warehouses, defence sites etc. In those situations, a barrier acts as a first line of defence. But for most sites, barriers can create multiple obstacles that detract from the overall visitor experience. For busy car parks like retail parks or attractions during peak periods a barrier can create a lot of frustration and congestion, backing up traffic and keeping people from their destination. This gets even worse if a barrier breaks down and must be raised manually, often meaning that the way into a car park is ‘open’ with no other form of car park management in place. Barriers can also create their own issues when it comes to accessing a site, it can be difficult for many motorists to reach machines or collect tickets and tokens to lift a barrier or allow them to exit, which creates additional delays and frustration, especially in poor weather. An ANPR blended barrier can provide a more efficient system that moves a lot of the additional queuing that is common with traditional barriers. Barriers stop people accessing sites who shouldn’t be there and are a good deterrent against anti-social behaviour, but they don’t solve some of the other security and behavioural issues that can take place once someone is on a car park. What’s the alternative to a barrier? While barriers aren’t always necessary that doesn’t mean that not having one leaves your car park unprotected. ANPR helps to ensure the only people on your car park are those who are supposed to be there and helps to deter antisocial behaviour. You can improve safety and security in other ways, eliminating queues and issues around payment kiosks can make your site more secure. For example, we live in an increasingly cashless society. Making it so your car park uses contactless and app-based payments can streamline payments and remove the need for cash collection and change to be kept on-site. This stops your payment kiosks from being such a target for thieves and removes the risk to the people collecting cash on site, saving you money on your security costs. Deter poor parking – ease stress, reduce confrontation Poor parking, particularly parking that impacts other visitors, customers and staff can be a security issue. There’s a level of confrontation that comes from getting someone to move their car that can be an unknown factor and risk, based on not knowing how someone is going to react. This can create undue stress for not just your customers but your staff. Bay Management solutions help create a visual deterrent that protects priority spaces and prevents the sort of confrontations that can impact your staff and visitor experience. It isn’t just the deterrent that helps your site either. By correcting problem parking behaviour, you reduce congestion and circling on your car park, which can go a long way to making a site much safer for the people using it as there’s less traffic to contend with. Find out more Take control of your car park Making your site safe and secure takes many different forms and covers a lot of different options. At Parkingeye, we help you understand the security requirements of your car park and then implement the car park management solutions that will keep your site safe without negatively impacting the legitimate users of your car park. If you want to learn more about how we can help you to combat abuse on your car park, retake control and modernise your car park, get in touch using the form below. First name *Last name *Email *Telephone Number *Company *Postcode *MessageBy submitting this form, you are confirming that you have read and accept the Privacy Policy, Terms & Conditions and consent to your data being processed and used for the purpose of reviewing and responding to this enquiry.Keep me updated with information from Parkingeye relating to my enquiry.YesNo SubmitPlease do not fill in this field.
