$185 to have a barnacle removed from my car??

[911 Rod]

You have cops handing out parking tickets?

[Steve Carlton]

Originally Posted by pksystems

Cordless drill through the plastic? You are free to go.

For now.

[Zeke]

Originally Posted by Steve Carlton

For now.

I doubt the average person would try the drill even as I brought it up. IDT it will be a problem. Once in a while I suppose. If if is a problem and these things are connected then all they need is a tiny camera that doesn't use a lot of data.

Basically it's like a paper ticket. If you throw it away, it isn't going away. They have your plate logged in the system the second they write it. The registered owner will be responsible in the end for any damages to the device.

Having to take it to a drop off location is a problem. You would think just like rental scooters that once you pay and get the code to unlock the thing, that they could pick it up. Someone has to deploy these so they are in the field already. If that makes it more expensive, so be it.

What I want to know is when and where this is appropriate. A simple parking violation like overtime at a meter or in a 2 hour space longer than allowed, the fine is nowhere near $185. Street sweeping tickets here are $70 and that's outrageous enough.

[stevej37]

I think they are used mainly for repeat offenders that never pay the tickets.

When you return the barnacle, in good condition, they credit your account..... I think it's $50

[Zeke]

Well, around here they might tow a car that has a lot of parking tickets.

California Vehicle Code Section 22651 (i) gives authorization for the towing or booting of a vehicle when there are 5 or more unpaid citations over 21 days.

[stevej37]

I'm guessing they save money with the barnacle.

[Sooner or later]

https://driving.ca/auto-news/news/students-defeat-new-barnacle-parking-boot-skip-fines-and-get-free-internet

Parking at University of Oklahoma without paying was about to get a lot more expensive before these kids defeated the school's high-tech boot with a low-effort solution

As it turns out, to take off the Barnacle, all you need to do is run your vehicle’s windshield defroster for 15 minutes, and then use a credit card or similar thin piece of plastic to release the suction cup around the edge. Presto! You’re free from fees.

Other students shared other solutions – blocking its signal and deactivating it by covering it in aluminum, or fitting your windshield with a mock Barnacle of your own – but our fave low-tech workaround was shared by a user who found out his campus only had 12 wheel boots to go around and bought and illegally parked 12 scrapyard cars that could be “sacrificed” so everyone else could park however they wanted.

Because it has a GPS tracker meant to set off a loud alarm whenever it, or the car it’s attached to, moves, the Barnacle also has a built-in SIM card. One reddit user figured out the SIM card had unlimited data, and hacked it so they could tether their own personal cell phone to its network, giving them unlimited free phone data for several months.

[GH85Carrera]

Before I was born, my dad was attending college at OU. Typical of every college, parking is a challenge. One class had no legal parking for over a mile. So he parked in a lot and got a ticket every day. He never paid them, and with no computers of today, they had no idea who he was.

He said he was in his cap and gown, in line to get his diploma and the chief of the school's police department was walking right towards dad. He started to imaging getting dragged from the line and having to come up with the money to pay all those tickets. The chief walked up to the guy in line next to him, and gave him a big hug and congratulations. So he got away with it all.

No way to do that in 2024.

I have never seen a boot or barnacle used around here. The parking enforcement will make the tires of cars that seem to not move. After a few days it will get towed if it looks abandoned or the registration is expired. One of the many things I love about our neighborhood is there is no overnight parking allowed on a regular basis. Yea, a guest can park there for a couple of days but not long term. Residents must park in the garage or in their own driveway. It sure makes the neighborhood look nicer. All three of our cars are parked safely in our garage every time. The only time they are in the driveway is if I am shuffling cars around for maintenance to the "work" bay. And the cars get put back in the garage for the duration.

Downtown OKC has an area called Bricktown entertainment district. Tons of restaurants and places to see. We rarely go down there, and I hate paying 5 to 10 bucks to park in a tiny spot to eat. We can eat at lots of great places closer to home and have free parking.

[Steve Carlton]

[stevej37]

[QUOTE=Sooner or later;12232541]https://driving.ca/auto-news/news/students-defeat-new-barnacle-parking-boot-skip-fines-and-get-free-internet
As it turns out, to take off the Barnacle, all you need to do is run your vehicle’s windshield defroster for 15 minutes, and then use a credit card or similar thin piece of plastic to release the suction cup around the edge. Presto! You’re free from fees.




I have 4 unpaid parking tickets totaling a couple hundred. I park illegally again and they slap a barnacle on.
I destroy the thing getting it off...but I manage.
Now, I'm free from the fees!
Hard to believe.



,

[Steve Carlton]

I'll be at the auction with my bidding paddle when the Prelude comes on the block!

[stevej37]

^^^ The barnacle makes a good (but expensive) sun screen.
Luckily, my Prelude has a moon roof.

[Tobra]

If only they would devote these sort of resources to address activity that is actually criminal

[Arizona_928]

Originally Posted by Zeke

Well, around here they might tow a car that has a lot of parking tickets.

California Vehicle Code Section 22651 (i) gives authorization for the towing or booting of a vehicle when there are 5 or more unpaid citations over 21 days.

Good way to lose one's car... Or did we ever truly own our vehicles...

[stevej37]

I'd much rather have a barnacle attached as opposed to a boot or getting towed.

I think it's a great idea.

[Steve Carlton]

I have Barnacle Bill in western Michigan keeping a close eye on your Prelude.

[stevej37]

^^^ I might have to fill the nitrous tank up...

Barnacle Bills was my favorite restaurant in Sarasota, Fl.....3 diff locations.
It's been a few years and now they are down to just one remaining in the downtown area. Great food.

[crustychief]

Just put 3m plastic on the windshield.

[GH85Carrera]

I would assume the police record the tag number of the car they are attaching a boot or barnacle. So even if you do get it off, it will be on registered. Just make it when the tag is renewed, all tickets must be paid as well as a fine for tampering with the device.

[Zeke]

Originally Posted by crustychief

Just put 3m plastic on the windshield.

Good thought. Or RainX