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If you're like me your first introduction to the car clamp, aka 'The Boot' was on a TV show or movie. The Simpson's episode 'the City of New York vs Homer Simpson' springs to mind.
To see one in action you had to be from a more urban area and I was stuck out in the suburbs. Well, this specific parking punishment may be heading towards the end of its usefulness. At least, if Barnacle Parking has their way. Meet the Barnacle. And I don't mean Barney from How I Met Your Mother.
Last summer a new parking enforcement product entered the scene. The Barnacle is a relatively lightweight, plastic device that is attached to the vehicle's windshield using commercial grade suction cups. You ask, 'Wouldn't the driver easily remove this device?' Nope. There's an integrated pump that provides 100's of pounds of force to secure the Barnacle to the windshield. It even has a built-in anti-tamper alarm and a GPS to detect if someone is either attempting to move the vehicle or illegally remove the device. Pretty slick.
Barnacle Parking created their device because they saw a need for a new parking enforcement device that was efficient, user friendly and lightweight. One that would make the entire process of parking enforcement easier for all parties involved: the administration, enforcement personnel and the violator.
With the Barancle, gone are the days of waiting around for someone to come and remove the boot at their convenience. All you have to do is pay your fine over the phone and they'll give you a code to punch in that will release the device. You'll then have to drop the Barnacle at a specified drop point, but that's easily done.
Will the Barnacle be making its debut in a city near you? Well, it's currently undergoing a trial period in Allentown, Pennsylvania and Fort Lauderdale, Florida. "We wanted to see how the Barnacle held up in a variety of environments, and Fort Lauderdale's heat and humidity made it a perfect test market," company president Kevin Dougherty told.
Depending on how things go, will your city ditch the Boot and switch to the Barnacle? Only time will tell.
Barnacle photos courtesy of Barnacle Parking.
