Image: Jukka Koski / Yle

City leaders in Kotka in southeast Finland have continued their unique tradition of pardoning drivers guilty of breaking minor parking rules. Instead of parking tickets and fines, miscreant motorists returned to their vehicles on Christmas Eve to find a whimsical greeting card and sweets.

The card depicts Santa digging into his pocket for cash for the parking metre, with one of his reindeer – presumably Rudolph – tied to the device.

"People who have forgotten to put out their parking timer or their receipt get chocolate or candy. However if the parking infraction is serious, for example if a car is [improperly] parked at a t-junction on the sidewalk or too close to a pedestrian crossing, then we issue a fine," said Kaija Vörös, head of Kotka’s parking monitoring unit.

Last Saturday on Christmas Eve, traffic wardens distributed seasonal cards and candy to roughly 40 drivers who did not observe parking laws. The gesture is a long-standing tradition maintained by Kotka traffic officials.

"We have the same card every year. It shows Santa and a reindeer tied to a metre. I don’t know if Santa has paid the parking fee," Vörös said, laughing.

Image: Kotkan kaupungin pysäköinninvalvonta

In spite of the goodwill Kotka officials say that locals do not appear to have taken advantage of the tradition to get careless with parking.

"Our wardens say that motorists in Kotka have stepped up their game. It’s so quiet at Christmastime that cars are parked properly," Vörös observed.

Cards make people stop and think

According to the Finnish Road Safety Council Liikenneturva, random acts of kindness, even in parking enforcement, could have the effect of making drivers think about their actions – and could be more effective than a fine.

"The longer term effect could be that drivers think about parking more than before when they get something positive instead of a fine," said Liikenneturva training chief Satu Tuomikoski.

She said that as far as she was aware Kotka is the only city in Finland to share out sweets instead of fines – even if only for one day of the year.

Police also agree with the road safety watchdog, saying that one day without fines would not weaken the level of parking enforcement.

"They are addressing wrongdoing with a Christmas card and teaching the right behavior with respect to parking enforcement," said Southeast Finland deputy police chief Keijo Kolsi.

The city of Kotka introduced paid parking in the 1990s. Vörös recalled the time when a man who had violated parking rules came to complain about getting a greeting card instead of a fine.

"It must have been about a dozen years ago. The man got a card and came to complain that he had received candies for parking incorrectly."

The city intends to continue its tradition, but said it won’t expand the warm-spirited gesture to include other holidays.