Perth trials female only parking bays

Perth city council is to begin a three month trial of 'female-only' parking bays designed to make women safe, but the spaces have drawn criticism over their apparent "unsafe" location.

Twenty eight female parking bays, painted bright pink, are located in car park with a reputation as a hangout for drug users, WA Today reports.

A CBD worker Briony Whitton told the paper the pink parks do not address the drug users who access the nearby stairwells.

She said tradies are the early risers who get the best parks, which means she has to park on the fifth floor and walk through areas of the parking building with no security or night lighting.

"The car park is mostly unmanned during the day and there are kids skating up and down the floors, who know which floors to go on so no one will see them."

When Whitton tried to report the skaters the security guard she found was sitting on his car playing Angry Birds.

"Anyone spending any time in that car park will know that nothing they've done here helps. Not to mention the inherent sexism of painting it pink."

National Council of Women president Marion Ward told the paper she will stand by anything which makes women safer.

Men will not be fined if caught parking in the bays, but the council encourages everyone to support the trial.

The official trial begins next week.