Posted on 10/20/2016 10:00:15 AM PDT by servo1969
If you haven’t paid your parking tickets you may soon have a face-to-face with “the Barnacle.”
The yellow monstrosity, which latches on to the windshield and blocks the driver’s view, rendering the car undriveable, has already begun replacing the parking boot in cities like Allentown, Pennsylvania, and Fort Lauderdale, Florida, as part of a 60-day trial that began Sept. 23.
The peculiar device is more effective than the boot at immobilizing cars and is easier to install, Kevin Dougherty, president of the New York-based Barnacle Parking Enforcement, told Philly.com.
The Barnacle — an opaque piece of plastic held in place by two suction cups and 750 pounds of force — makes it nearly impossible for a driver to drive away, even if they think they can cleverly stick their head out of the window.
“If you ever actually try to drive that way, it’s physically very difficult,” Dougherty said.
The tech-savvy device is also sensitive to movement and will sound an alarm if it detects that a car is in use while it’s attached.
(Excerpt) Read more at foxnews.com ...
What if you have a cracked windshield?
New teenage fad...setting off the alarms on an entire block.
Keep your windshield filthy and it can’t stick.
Driver to Insurance company: My windshield needs to be replaced.
Insurance Company rep: Why? What happened?
Driver: A big yellow rock broke it.
Insurance Company rep: Okay, does that impair your driving?
Driver: Yes, it does, very much so.
Insurance Company rep: Well, we’ll have to send someone right over, sir.................
Held in place with suction cups. Which means that a small drill which makes a hole in the plastic (but hopefully not hitting the glass of the windshield), thus allowing air in and breaking the suction, will make it un-stick.
I have a 1966 Toyota LandCruiser. And I drive with my windshield down at all times, so suck it meter maids
Carry around a .005” feeler gauge and slip it between the glass and suction surface.
And dangerous. Lawyers will have a field day.
Just put a plunge-depth stop on the bit and no problemo.
Years ago when they developed the boot I fed my money into the wrong slot and came back to find my vehicle booted. They refused to believe that I had paid and told me that it would be $50 to unlock the boot. What they didn’t count of was that I had heavy-duty bolt cutters. I called them up and offered to return the boot - for $50.
Thin feeler gauge and a can of WD40 will solve that!
Yeah, those things look fairly easily defeatable in a variety of ways.
In Minnesota, we’ve all driven much blinder after snowstorms.
the old slim jim returns.
Trim the plastic away with that battery powered jigsaw you’ve always wanted but never had an excuse to buy.
The device is likely very hardened and can’t be drilled with hand tools.
But you can always drill a teeny tiny hole from the inside of the windshield and then patch it with a drop of epoxy.
This is great! Would love to see some sanctimonious yuppie tooling down the street in the Beemer with head out the window and alarm blaring away.
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