Story By: Gheorghi Caraseni, Sub Editor:  Alex Cope,  Agency: Real Press

Russia’s first women-only car parking area has had its pink spaces repainted black for everyone to use after the police said that traffic rules do not allow for gender-based parking bays.

The female-only parking spaces were installed at a shopping centre in the city of Kazan in the western Russian republic of Tatarstan in early August before being removed three days later.

Ten spaces were painted pink in a car park with 200 spaces and a ‘women-only’ sign was erected to make shopping centre customers aware of the initiative.

Despite meeting the approval of many residents in the Russian city, the police told the shopping centre’s management to get rid of the pink bays because there is no official distinction between male and female parking spaces in the traffic rules.

Although the pink spaces were only available for women for a few days, many residents approved of the idea.

Before the spaces were removed, Irina Volynets told the news channel TNV: “I am so pleased and proud that our city’s women have been honoured with such consideration and respect.”

Feminist activist Dina Nurm said: “There is a stereotype that women are worse at parking than men. This is not true. Female drivers are actually more attentive on the road.”

However, police spokesperson Lenar Gulmutdinov said that the official traffic rules do not allow for male- and female-only parking.

Gulmutdinov added: “We have passed on the relevant information and called on the shopping centre’s management to remove the spaces.”

After only three days in fetching pink, the spaces were repainted black on 6th August, as reported by TNV.

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