BENGALURU: Brigade Road wore a colourful look on Sunday morning with dark pink sarees fashioned as streamers swirling above and flower pots with pink flowers near parking slots. The occasion was the launch of 20 per cent reservation for women in the automated paid parking facility on the road.
Mayor Sampath Raj along with MLA N A Haris inaugurated the launch of the dedicated parking space. As of now, ten parking slots on the road (beginning from Bata showroom to the Puma showroom) will be reserved for women. More slots will be added towards the end of the road shortly.
Briefing reporters, the Mayor said that in future all BBMP paid parking areas will reserve slots for women. “Contracts in which the tendering is already on will have 20 per cent reservation incorporated in it. Within six months, all two-wheeler and four-wheeler parking facilities will have exclusive slots for women,” he said. The facility will be launched on Church Street soon while the multi-storeyed parking complex coming up at Gandhinagar will have up to 25 per cent parking slots reserved for women. The space can house 500 cars and 550 two-wheelers, he added.
“This has been done in the interest of women’s safety. Most women who come to shop or whose officers are on Brigade Road and M G Road do not find parking slots and end up parking their vehicles on narrow roads in the vicinity. They have to be watchful at nights when they return to take their vehicles,” the Mayor said.
‘Reserved slots ensure safety’It turned out to be a surprise-filled Sunday for two friends, Anamika Bist and Shilpa Jatti, who chose to meet on Brigade Road with their families. Shilpa, who had already circled the area looking for a parking space, was called over by a security staffer just after the parking slots were inaugurated and urged her to park there saying the space was reserved for women. Anamika, riding a motorbike, was also permitted to park there. Shilpa, accompanied by her daughter Sangami and husband Channu Jatti, who had come from Sadashivanagar, said, “I think it is the first time in the country such a concept has been introduced.
I had actually just gone around in circles looking for a spot to park. I was so happy to be suddenly called and given this space to park.” Shilpa said, “I had stopped coming to Brigade Road to shop because of lack of parking space. I will definitely come here in future.” Sohail Yusuf, secretary, Brigade Road Shops and Establishments Association, said the Mayor proposed the idea to the association four days ago. “Shops are happy with the move and were ready for it. Most shops here cater to men and they feel the dedicated parking space will open up a market for women’s shopping too.”