Parks for the girls, strife for the mayor

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A small German town has made headlines by introducing easy-access parking spaces reserved for women.

The scheme, introduced by Mayor Gallus Strobel in the south German town of Triberg, sparked international interest after Mr Strobel said the women-only spaces were introduced because females were worse parkers than males.

The spaces are reported to be wider and better lit than in other parking areas, making them easier to manoeuvre in and out of.

They are marked with a female symbol, and are not next to any concrete pillars.

"Men are, as a rule, a little better at such challenges [parking]," Mr Strobel told the German magazine Der Spiegel.

But women were welcome to visit the town and prove him wrong.

"While they're at it they can see the town's attractions." he added.

His comments and his sex-based parking scheme have attracted critical attention from around the world.

But he said that was good for tourism in his Black Forest town.

Research has produced differing answers to the perennial and thorny question of which sex is better behind the wheel.

A British study, published in January, found women were better at parking than men because they took their time in getting it right.

But another UK study by a driving standards agency found women were more likely to fail driver licence tests because they had problems reversing into parking spaces.

Parking authorities in New Zealand have ruled out Triberg-style parking.

Auckland Transport communications manager Wally Thomas said there was "no way" any such parking would be introduced in the city.

"From our perspective, a car is [a] car. And we certainly don't take into account the driving ability of anybody in providing spaces."

Hamilton City councillor Maria Westphal, who oversees the city's parking strategy, told the Herald the scheme was ridiculous.

"I think that the mayor of that German town is quite sexist.

"And I would even say that women ... can park better than men."

But not everybody is against the idea. In Tianjin, China, spaces have been set aside at a local carpark for women to park.

The area is marked with pink paint, and - as in Triberg - the spaces are wider and better lit than others.