Signs

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How many times have you found yourself in a multi-level parking lot, hopelessly looking for your car, thinking ?Was it on the 3rd or 5th level, was it F row or D row?? People lost in parking lots are at greater risk of being attacked. Making it easy for everyone to find their way quickly and efficiently gives a feeling of safety and also removes the opportunity for offenders to attack. While numbers and letters should be easy to remember, people frequently get confused and forget them. Some malls have started marking the levels with fruit or animals. Instead of 1st, 2nd, 3rd level, there are Strawberry, Kiwi, Orange, or Lion, Horse, or Dog. These seem to be much easier to remember, and if the walls are appropriately decorated too, add to the bright feeling in the lot. It is possible to make maps of the parking lot and place them by the elevators or the entrance into the mall, where customers can pick up and use them to remind themselves of where they have parked. This can actually be very cheap to do, because individual shops or restaurants from the mall could put their ads on the map, and cover the whole expense, and perhaps even create profit for the mall. Colors can be further used to mark parking rows, with stripes on the walls, or on the floor. Arrows should be clear, both on the floor and on the wall, in order to direct both car and pedestrian traffic. Have clear directions showing the location of guard booths, elevators and stairs, as well as maps of the mall in the parking lot. Parking should be closed to individuals who are not customers of the mall. Posting signs such as ?No Trespassing? or ?Parking for Customers Only? may keep offenders away.