German drivers let off parking fines with tickets that read ‘Ho ho ho…that was close!’

One of the new parking tickets

Credit: Social media

Drivers in a small town in western Germany have been finding unusual parking tickets slipped under their windscreen wipers in recent days.

Instead of the usual penalty notice, the tickets read: “Ho ho ho…that was close! The highway code still applies at Christmas. You just haven’t thought about it and have parked your car illegally. But today we’re not issuing fines. Your local authority wishes you a happy Christmas!”

The tickets are not a practical joke. They are being issued by the town hall in Gemersheim, on the banks of the river Rhine, as part of a scheme to support local businesses through the coronavirus pandemic.

“We wanted to give tradespeople who are suffering major difficulties because of corona a helping hand. And at the same time make it more pleasant for people to go shopping instead of ordering their Christmas presents online,” said Marcus Schaile, the town’s mayor.

“We don’t want to punish anyone who overstays parking limits because they were stuck in the queue at the perfume store.”

Die sind aber nett in Germersheim
(Nicht von mir) pic.twitter.com/FI5oqUupCi

— Fuchsi 🦊 (@derFuchsi) December 3, 2020

Shops are open in Germany but there are currently long queues because of strict limits on how many customers are allowed inside at a time.

Mr Schaile stressed the no fines policy only applied to those who overstay parking limits and was not a “carte blanche” to park illegally.

“Anyone who blocks a disabled parking space, for example, will have to face the consequences,” he said.

But the policy has not gone down well with everyone and came under fire on social media.

“Why is parking without a valid parking ticket suddenly free for car users, but travelling without a valid ticket on local public transport still carries a €60 in the run-up to Christmas?!?” Carsten Zapp wrote on Twitter.

“Anti-social behavior particularly encouraged in the run-up to Christmas? Which signal are you trying to send here?” another user posting under the name Schlag Sahne, or whipped cream, wrote.