Starting next Monday, Dallas drivers who have racked up three or more unpaid parking tickets in the past year could find a 17-pound black-and-yellow device suction-cupped to their windshield, and getting it off will cost more than just paying the ticket. The city is rolling out Barnacle immobilization devices as part of a broader parking enforcement overhaul that also includes meter rate hikes and longer enforcement hours across downtown and Deep Ellum.
The devices attach to windshields using large suction cups and a lock, according to NBC 5 Dallas-Fort Worth. A vehicle qualifies for the Barnacle treatment once it has three or more delinquent Dallas parking tickets within the last year, the station reports. Dallas paid $50,000 for seven of the devices along with a drop-off box and tech support, per the same station’s reporting.
Once a driver pays off all outstanding tickets and a $100 device fee, the station reports they receive a code to unlock the Barnacle and can remove it themselves. But that’s not the end of the financial obligation. According to FOX 4 Dallas, drivers must also authorize a $300 refundable credit card hold, which is released within three business days after the device is returned to a drop box. The same outlet notes that if the Barnacle isn’t removed or returned within 24 hours after payment, the vehicle can still be towed.
Where to Return the Device
Drivers must return the Barnacle to a drop-off box along Jefferson Avenue outside the Oak Cliff Municipal Center, according to NBC 5’s reporting. Dallas resident Douglas McNamara encountered that drop-off box outside the municipal center and told the station he liked the concept of unlocking the device after paying the fine. His wife, Ande McNamara, said returning the Barnacle seemed like a strange system, though she found the idea of watching it work interesting…