Pay your parking tickets or get Barnacled.

MacDoc

MacDoc

Well-known member
Site Supporter
1713672638893.png
The Barnacle is a bright yellow device placed on a vehicle’s windshield and commercial-grade suction cups latch onto the glass with 1,000 pounds of force as shown in this this handout image. Barnacles have popped up in Saskatchewan and could soon be making their way across the country. THE CANADIAN PRESS/HO-Barnacle Parking
Click to expand...
www.ctvnews.ca

What's a Barnacle? It's yellow, sticks and screams if you try to pry it off your car

Barnacles, bright yellow devices used to make sure parking scofflaws pay their tickets, could soon be making their way to cities across Canada.
www.ctvnews.ca www.ctvnews.ca
People have posted online different ways to try and unstick the Barnacle, from running defrost to using a credit card to pull up the suction cups.

Unfortunately for those who need to pay a fine, the only way to truly remove the device is to take out the windshield, said Heffron. If someone tampers with the device, it triggers an "ear-piercing" alarm.

The goal of the Barnacle is to deter people from parking illegally without the extra hassles that come with a tow or a parking boot. It also promotes compliance, Heffron said.

"If you drive into a parking lot and happen to see a few of these on a windshield, you aren't parking illegally there," he said. "You are going to move...you are going to pay for your parking."
Click to expand...
Clever approach.
 
Last edited:
Drive slowly away with your head out the window to a side alley and have at her or just use the reverse camera and drive backwards to a more secluded spot for some barnacle removal.

I saw the underside of these things. Looks like two large suction pads one centered under each panel. A battery powered multitool with a tiny drill bit right in the middle/slight offset should be enough to allow air to enter the suction pad if you’re super careful/tape the bit for depth.
 
jc100 said:
Drive slowly away with your head out the window to a side alley and have at her or just use the reverse camera and drive backwards to a more secluded spot for some barnacle removal.

I saw the underside of these things. Looks like two large suction pads one centered under each panel. A battery powered multitool with a tiny drill bit right in the middle/slight offset should be enough to allow air to enter the suction pad if you’re super careful/tape the bit for depth.
Click to expand...
Sounds like a lot of work for a parking infraction..
 
What happened to the days when you couldn’t renew your license
 
ToSlow said:
What happened to the days when you couldn’t renew your license
Click to expand...
Apparently that's still a thing...I was at SO the other to get a UVIP for my bike and I overheard the teller that was doing all the dealer plates call one up and tell them they couldn't proceed because the purchaser had unpaid fines...unfortunately, this would only come up when someone purchases a new vehicle or goes to renew their license which is only once every 5 years...I guess the government doesn't want to wait that long...
 
ToSlow said:
What happened to the days when you couldn’t renew your license
Click to expand...
This really is more of a tool of for-profit parking enforcement, and shaking people down for quick money. I suppose it's a gentler alternative to having your vehicle towed? And you get to keep the money, instead of it going to the impound lot.

I have faith that people will keep finding and exploiting flaws in the device.
 
Evoex said:
Curious what legislation allows them to put this on your vehicle.
Click to expand...

Pretty sure it's covered.

On the same topic, there was a story a month or so back I saw online where a college somewhere in the GTA (IIRC) was using these to solve their issue of students just refusing to pay for parking, and refusing to pay the resulting tickets. The lady in the story was incredulous that she was being held responsible for her own actions.

We all hate parking fees, but that doesn't mean you just get to choose to ignore them without consequence.
 
Evoex said:
Curious what legislation allows them to put this on your vehicle.
Click to expand...
Probably the same legislation that allows them to put the boot on.
Both making contact with your car.
 
Last edited:
ifiddles said:
Apparently that's still a thing...I was at SO the other to get a UVIP for my bike and I overheard the teller that was doing all the dealer plates call one up and tell them they couldn't proceed because the purchaser had unpaid fines...unfortunately, this would only come up when someone purchases a new vehicle or goes to renew their license which is only once every 5 years...I guess the government doesn't want to wait that long...
Click to expand...
It would still probably come up when you do your free plate renewal. If you try to renew a plate, you need to clear the fines first. I don't know what happens if a license unpaid fines tries to get a new plate. I assume they catch that and make you pay but don't know for sure.

Now, my wife has no vehicles registered in her name (convenience so they all renew at the same time). Even if I had unpaid fines, she could probably get the vehicles transferred and pull plates without paying them but that's a lot of work and I'd just be buying up to five years when my license expired.
 
Jampy00 said:
Sounds like a lot of work for a parking infraction..
Click to expand...

Just more of a challenge.

I have no issues with putting these gizmos on serial offenders or on cars in highly marked zones but I do have an issue if they are used in cases where there’s ambiguity that might lead to a mistake. Now your car is being held hostage.
 
jc100 said:
Just more of a challenge.

I have no issues with putting these gizmos on serial offenders or on cars in highly marked zones but I do have an issue if they are used in cases where there’s ambiguity that might lead to a mistake. Now your car is being held hostage.
Click to expand...
I think that's the idea, doubtful parking enforcement will just be slapping these on random cars, is there a current issue with them doing it with the boot?
 
I recall my employer's parking lot operator and security putting very large labels on the windshields of vehicles parked in prohibited locations. Intent was to punish the owner as it took a long time to peel this huge label off the windshield so you could see. This practice stopped because a number of drivers simply drove slowly to the manned exit gate, then literally dragged the attendant out of the booth and threatened to beat the crap out of him if he did not scrape off the label. They blocked the exit lane until this was complete and it could take 15 - 20 minutes, backing up dozens of people trying to get out of the lot.
 
spitRR said:
Couldn't a barnicle be used as a theft deterrent?....Just an idea.
Click to expand...
That was my first thought when I read this. I wonder how much they cost and how heavy they are. There may be a market for a half size (driver side only) or smaller version for this purpose. The club is a joke as they quickly cut the steering wheel. Using a boot ( a guy near us does this) is a bend over PITA to me. Slapping this on the windshield seems much easier???
 
backmarkerducati said:
That was my first thought when I read this. I wonder how much they cost and how heavy they are. There may be a market for a half size (driver side only) or smaller version for this purpose. The club is a joke as they quickly cut the steering wheel. Using a boot ( a guy near us does this) is a bend over PITA to me. Slapping this on the windshield seems much easier???
Click to expand...
The full featured barnacle has remote access, gps and lots of other features for $250/mo. It seems that you could make one much simpler for anti-theft with a keypad (or key but that is either relatively expensive or easy to defeat).

Now, I'm not sure it would be terribly effective. A windshield isn't tragically expensive. If they wanted your car it only takes a few seconds to cut out a windshield if you have the right tool. That completely bypasses barnacle.
 
backmarkerducati said:
That was my first thought when I read this. I wonder how much they cost and how heavy they are. There may be a market for a half size (driver side only) or smaller version for this purpose. The club is a joke as they quickly cut the steering wheel. Using a boot ( a guy near us does this) is a bend over PITA to me. Slapping this on the windshield seems much easier???
Click to expand...

Sharpen the business end of a BBQ spatula. It will slip right under the cups releasing them, toss the screaming barnacle in the bushes, drive off.

520150.jpg
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom