If the folks at Barnacle Parking Enforcement have their way, Rockford and thousands of other cities and towns across America may be giving the boot to "the boot," and going with something equally galling to parking offenders, but more user-friendly to parking enforcement. That something is called "The Barnacle."

So let's say you've got some unpaid parking tickets that you got here in Rockford. Maybe you parked on the wrong side of the street during the even/odd snow removal restrictions, or you left your car downtown in the same spot for over 48 hours, or...well, I assume you know how you got the tickets. After a certain period of time goes by with no payment from you, you may find yourself eligible for "vehicle immobilization," or in other words, getting your car "booted." That's when a device that stops your front wheel from turning is attached to your car and locked. Pay up, and someone comes by to unlock and remove the boot.

The Barnacle goes about immobilizing your vehicle a little differently. Imagine your car's windshield when it's covered with snow, and you can't see out. That's the principle behind The Barnacle:

As intriguing as the concept may or may not be, after reading the comments section that follows these videos, I get the idea that there are lots of people who think they could get that thing off their car in no time. And, based upon some of the commentary, they've had this sort of problem many, many times in the past.

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