Poppy Bilderbeck
New York Police Department's 'Barnacle Device' to deter cars from violating parking regulations has faced backlash online.
You may not be the sort of person to park in a 'designated parent child' bay but if you do ever really need the loo and decide to park in a spot you're not supposed to, then New York Police Department's new device to pop on vehicles which violate regulations may make you think twice.
Chief of Transportation Philip Rivera first unveiled in the device in a post to Twitter earlier this year, writing: "Tonight was the NYPD's 1st deployment of a windshield boot aka the 'Barnacle Device.' It's used to immobilize vehicles violating parking regulations.
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"This allows us to hold those accountable, reduce parking congestion & address cars that are a nuisance & hazard to the community."
Executive chairman of Edison, New Jersey-based Barnacle Parking, Colin J. Heffron Sr told CBS News: "It's a device that unfolds. It adheres to the windshield of your car.
"There's two giant suction cups that are engaged in a self-contained pump within the Barnacle. Basically, it makes it impossible for you to drive because you can't see through your window."
The Barnacle also triggers an alarm if you attempt to take it off the windshield.
And now the device has since come into action - caught on camera being used on the streets of New York - it's not taken long for people to point out a glaring issue.
One Twitter user explained: "The NYPD is using 'Barnacles' to combat illegal parking. They are commercial-grade suction cups that latch onto the glass with 1,000 pounds of force, making forcible removal next to impossible."
A user responded: "Ummm, so then they are stuck being parked in that illegal parking space?? Can someone explain how this makes any sense?"
Another echoed: "That’s cool but it doesn’t resolve the fact that the car is going to remain illegally parked until…"
Someone else wrote: "This is what you get when government is more interested in collecting the fines then solving the problem. This device makes it impossible for the individual to move their vehicle."
And a final resolved: "That's just going to make people drive like Ace Ventura."
In order to get the Barnacle removed, drivers have to follow the instructions on the device and then cough up a $185 fine to get a traffic agent to take it off.
UNILAD has contacted the New York Police Department for comment.