Could pausing to give cash to a pan handler get you a ticket for distracted driving? Some members of council think that might be a good idea.

News 100 redBy Pepper Parr

September 10th,2019

BURLINGTON, ON

 

What do you think about this one?

Pan hamdler and cop - ticket

Police in Burlington don’t ticket pan handlers – there is nothing illegal about begging for money.

The police being able to give you a ticket for pausing to give some money to a pan handler at an intersection.

Mayor Meed Ward said her understanding was that this could be done. The ticket would be for distracted driving where a ticket comes in at as much as $1000.

From the provincial web site:
Most drivers caught, talking, texting, dialing or emailing on a handheld device will be fined up to $1,000 — more than double the current fine. Additional penalties include a three-day licence suspension and three demerit points. And that’s just the beginning. December 31, 2018

Panhandling OK tosay no

Council didn’t like the idea of signs – but they want to do something about the problem.

The idea landed on the table during a discussion of signs directing people to not give money to people pan handling but rather direct those people to agencies that can help.

Council agreed to a recommendation that would make use of City Talk, an insert that appears in a print newspaper and using social media to educate the public.

More on this later in the week.

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1 comment to Could pausing to give cash to a pan handler get you a ticket for distracted driving? Some members of council think that might be a good idea.

  • Hans Jacobs

    To “..direct those people to agencies that can help…” would require much more driver involvement and “distraction” than merely handing money to a panhandler while stopped for a traffic light. Ticketing a driver for giving would punish a charitable act.
    There must be a better way to solve this problem – if it is the problem and not simply a symptom of one.