Women motorists travelling to Brigade Road no longer have to worry about finding a parking spot. The Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP), in association with the Brigade’s Shops and Establishments’ Association (BSEA), on Sunday, dedicated 10 parking slots out of 85 available under the ‘pay and park’ system exclusively for cars driven by women.
The idea behind the initiative is to help women drivers find parking more easily instead of having to park in far-off stretches and walk to their destination, thereby posing a possible security risk.
Now, all they have to do is head to any of the last 10 parking bays on Brigade Road and park there. They then have to go to the existing automated pay-and-park machine and buy parking tickets, as they would earlier. The parking fee is ₹5 for the first two hours, ₹10 for two to four hours, and ₹15 for four to six hours.
Mayor R. Sampath Raj, who inaugurated the initiative, said it was a step forward in ensuring women’s safety. “As one of the most crowded areas in Bengaluru, people have to park their vehicles far away from Brigade Road and walk back,” he said.
Suhail Yusuf, president, BSEA, likening the reservation for women in parking to reservation in public transport, said the number of parking slots for women would be increased if required.
