Everybody hates parking tickets, especially during the Christmas season when enough cash is being dropped on fruitcake, eggnog and gifts. But in Kingston, Ontario, they’ve found a way of turning something so humbug into a little Christmas cheer.
Instead of paying a parking fine, motorists can choose to donate a toy for Christmas. It’s called the Toys for Tickets program and it’s been running for over 20 years. It’s simple: donate a new, unwrapped toy of equal or greater value than your parking ticket, and the elves at city hall will tear up your ticket. You just have to provide a receipt for the special accommodation, and only one toy can be donated per ticket. Not all infractions qualify, of course. Grinches who park illegally in accessible parking spaces still have to pay their fines.
Kingston is pretty small, just 132,000 people. So the 4,200 toys collected by the program over the years may not seem like much. But it still counts. Thanks to this program, kids have received dolls and stuffed animals and toy cars at Christmas. A cool idea that transforms a negative into something positive for families at Christmas.
Meanwhile, in Toronto, there’s another intersection between cars, Christmas and John Q. Law. Last December, the Toronto Star put an article on the front page of their paper called ‘The Fast and the Festive’, all about gearheads who cover their rides with LED lights during the holiday season. It even featured Demaras Racing’s trusty old GMC Sierra, decorated with thousands of festive lights.
Unfortunately, the article focused on scofflaws violating Section 62 of the Highway Traffic Act. According to police, driving vehicles decorated with Christmas lights on Ontario roads is against the law! Those sparkly little lights may brighten up a dreary winter day or bring a smile to the face of someone seeing a 4WD Christmas parade. But those festive decorations could still get you slapped with a $110 fine.
Sadly, Kingston’s generous offer only applies to eligible parking tickets. Motorists ticketed for their automotive Christmas decorations can’t simply show up with a sack full of toys and expect their fines to disappear. That’s a shame, because there would be something wonderfully appropriate about turning a Christmas-light violation into Christmas presents for children.
Isn’t that what Christmas spirit is supposed to be about?