Society - Chocolate instead of parking tickets - police reward drivers
When Sandra Wendt and Dennis Incalcaterra walk through Giengen (Heidenheim district) wrapped up thickly in their jackets that say"Ordnungsamt" on them, they sometimes earn angry looks. At the moment, however, these quickly dissolve into hearty laughter. This is because they are handing out chocolate to people who park properly during the Advent season.
"I was pleasantly surprised and very pleased that I didn't get a parking ticket here," says Marco Valentini, for example. He parked correctly and found an Advent greeting including a piece of chocolate on the windshield of his car. "They're welcome to come back at Easter and hand out bunnies," he adds and laughs. He has seen a completely different side of the public order office.
That's another reason for the campaign, says Mayor Dieter Henle. "We want to show people during the Advent season that our public order service can also be straight with the five and crooked with the six," he says. Henle cannot say whether people's parking behavior changes as a result of the campaign - the city does not keep statistics on this, but the feedback is positive.
According to Henle, the sweet parking tickets were first issued in 2018, with a break in the pandemic years. They were once suggested by the Fairtrade steering group, as the bag with the city's Advent greeting contains a piece of fair trade chocolate. According to the mayor, the sweet little nodule costs the city around 20 euros, and he donates the chocolate pieces privately.
The city is not alone with this idea. Other cities also hand out sweet parking tickets at Christmas or around Easter. Wendt and Incalcaterra manage around 1,000 Lobes parking tickets during the campaign week. But there is still the bitter equivalent during this time, when someone doesn't park properly.
"Once a year, it's okay to hand out chocolate," says Incalcaterra, who works in the public order department. "Otherwise, the rule is: no warning is praise enough." His colleague Wendt agrees. "You should just stick to the highway code." Giengen doesn't make it that difficult for drivers. "In Giengen, no parking spaces are subject to charges, you really only need to insert the parking disk."
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Read also:
- Despite the municipalities in Baden-Württemberg having strict traffic regulations, Giengen in the Heidenheim district decides to offer a unique twist during the Advent season, replacing parking tickets with colorful chocolate.
- The traffic situation in Giengen during Easter might also be different, as the municipalities propose handing out chocolate bunnies instead of parking tickets to encourage proper parking behavior.
- During their duty, Sandra Wendt and Dennis Incalcaterra from the 'Ordnungsamt' occasionally distribute chocolate treats to drivers who correctly park their cars, turning the usual confrontational scene into a joyful one.
- The campaign titled 'Chocolate instead of parking tickets' by the Giengen municipality began in 2018, with the city's fair trade Advent calendar bag containing a piece of chocolate that costs around 20 euros.
- This initiative originated from the city's Fairtrade steering group's suggestion to incorporate a sweet token of appreciation into the city's Advent greeting, with the aim of spreading positivity during the festive season.
- Regardless of the campaign, parking violation fines ('Parking ticket') remain in force during the Christmas and Easter holiday periods, emphasizing the importance of following traffic rules and parking regulations in Giengen.
- Drivers visiting Giengen during the holiday seasons can appreciate the minimal parking fees, as the city does not charge for parking spaces, making the task of finding a spot less stressful and more convenient for visitors.
Source: www.stern.de
