I’ll be contrarian here, as I prefer the foot pedal for the parking brake. I’ve had arthritis since I was young and the hand levers are painful for me to use. I know from experience, having driven a 1973 Corolla with a hand lever as my daily driver for twelve years and occasionally for two more years.
Releasing the brake on a lever is particularly difficult and painful. The foot pedal is easy to operate though.
When I last shopped for a new car the choice came down between an Accord with a parking brake lever versus a Camry with a foot pedal. The Camry’s foot pedal ended up being one of several final deciding factors.
It’s nice to have a choice for individual personal preferences. 