Until recently, those who parked illegally had to endure the prospect of fines via the mail, a wheel clamp, or (in the worst case scenario) a vehicle towed entirely.
This could all be about to change as a new measure has been introduced to deter pesky parkers – say hello to the Barnacle.
The big yellow device is designed by a company in the US called, aptly, Barnacle Parking and uses suction cups that grip with 1,000 pounds of force to attach a giant slab of yellow plastic to a vehicle's windshield, which effectively does impossible to get away. No danger.
The Barnacle is being marketed as a more convenient way to enforce parking restrictions, as it can be applied in less than a minute, compared to the several minutes required for a wheel clamp or parking boot.
Its inventor, Colin J. Heffron Sr, told CBS News that he was tired of the inconvenience of wheel clamps and had to wait all day for his car to be delivered. Additionally, wheel clamps or protectors are also notorious for damaging precious alloy wheels.
To combat user removal, the Barnacle contains an audible alarm, which is activated if someone tampers with it, while the connected nature of the device (it features GPS and a SIM card) means an alert will be sent to the parking attendant if it detects movement.
“If a driver attempts to exit an Ace Ventura and drive away with their head out of the window, the Barnacle's motion sensors will activate the alarm and an alert will also be sent,” according to Barnacle's official website.
Like most parking tickets, the parking manager will also take a photo of the vehicle, as well as take a digital note of the vehicle's registration, and link it to the device with the details of the violation. If the naughty motorist attempts to start it or drive away with the Barnacle attached, they could face additional fines and destruction of property violations.
However, Barnacle Parking has made it easier for those unfortunate enough to have a huge yellow brick stuck to a windshield to resolve the situation. The driver simply scans a QR code, pays the fine and the device is unlocked remotely.
There are guidelines on what to do with your discarded Barnacle, which involves leaving it at a local collection point so it can be put back into use.
A complicated situation
The NYPD is currently renting the Barnacle devices as part of a pilot program to target illegally parked trucks and vehicles, according to CBS News, but the device is already in use at other police departments and universities across the United States.
In fact, plans to introduce the device at the University of Oklahoma sparked a furor among students in 2020.
A user on the social news site Reddit reported that he had defiantly protested the university's use of the Barnacle by removing a mobile network SIM card from one of the devices and using it to access the internet for free, according to the BBC.
Barnacle Parking has since improved the design of its device, with its latest generation featuring a suction motor that constantly adjusts PSI based on ambient temperature and a replaceable, tamper-proof battery, so challenging drivers can't wait to cause the power source to shut down and throw away. the thing in the bushes.
As a result, Barnacle Parking says it now has “tens of thousands” of units on deployment, meaning the big yellow monstrosity could soon arrive on a street near you.
