Inconsiderate M’sians keep abusing ladies-only parking spots

Are you a woman who regularly finds it difficult to get a parking spot at the “female only” parking areas at malls because they’re somehow ALWAYS full?

Siti Mahziyatul Abdullah, 37, says she definitely does.

“Often men would purposely park in the area. When I confront them, some would simply ignore me while others would even yell at me.

“Once, I confronted a man who was with his wife and had parked their car in the (ladies’) parking lot next to mine. Afterwards, I found my tyres punctured.”

Siti Mahziyatul Abdullah via Malay Mail

For Siti Mahziyatul, the female designated parking areas are a much-needed facility as she often goes to the mall alone or with her three-year-old child.

Just like many other women who tend to travel alone or with small children, she’s scared that if she isn’t in a state of constant vigilance, she would become an easy target for criminals.

The sad and unfortunate truth is that women who are alone or with young children are often more prone to being the victim of crimes.

They are at higher risk of robbery, kidnapping, harassment, or worse, sexual assault, when they are walking alone in quiet carparks.

This factor spurred the introduction of designated parking areas for single female drivers at malls in 2012.

According to the Road Safety Marshal Club president, K. Balasupramaniam, the designated parking areas were to acknowledge how important it was to keep women safe against criminal attacks.

Sad to say, this facility is often abused by men as well as women travelling with adult companions.

“Many are still making light of this issue. Some malls simply provide such parking spaces but do not provide safeguards against abuse such as barriers, CCTVs (closed-circuit television cameras) or assigning guards to monitor the area.”

K. Balasupramaniam via Bernama

Have you personally seen people who don’t fit the female-only criteria shamelessly park their cars in the female-only designated parking areas?

Or, are you one of those people who don’t fit the criteria but park there and think: I’m just taking one spot, how many single females could there be, anyway?”

Do we Malaysians really need to be policed by guards, barriers, or CCTV in order to respect designated parking areas?

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