Dallas is raising downtown parking rates—and bringing out the ‘Barnacle’.
Fun fact: Every Friday, at the last possible moment of the 9-5 work day, the Dallas City Manager’s office uploads the memos it sends to the City Council so everyone can have a super fun Friday night read. This week’s memo dump included two related items that are going to make on-street parking downtown and in Deep Ellum more expensive, and also make it way more annoying if you don’t pay up.
As of September 1, parking rates will go up by a quarter, and meters will be in effect from 7 a.m. to midnight in the Main Street Corridor. All Deep Ellum meters will also go up by a quarter. Assistant City Manager Dev Rastogi says the city’s goal is to keep an average paid occupancy of no more than 70 percent “to support reasonable parking availability, reduce congestion, and ensure curb access for residents, visitors, and deliveries.”
In a separate memo, Rastogi explains that starting next week (August 24, to be exact), the city will begin using self-release windshield vehicle immobilizers. While the city doesn’t use a brand name, one such device is the Barnacle, a branded windshield immobilizer that attaches directly to a car’s windshield using suction and blocks the driver’s view of the road. They’re often crafted with GPS and a tamper alarm. (You can see one in action here.) Rastogi says that the devices will be used on cars with three or more delinquent parking citations in a calendar year. If you get barnacled, a note will be included with instructions. From there, you pay your outstanding parking tickets and a $100 immobilizer fee, and then a code is provided to unlock the immobilizer. There will also be a $300 refundable credit card hold that will be returned after you return the device. (Yes, you have to haul your cookies—and the immobilizer—to the Oak Cliff Municipal Center.) Rastogi says that there will be payment plans available.
“The Self-Release Vehicle Immobilizer Program provides motorists with a faster, more convenient alternative to vehicle towing while ensuring compliance with parking regulations,” the memo says. “When possible, the City will use a vehicle immobilizer rather than towing, allowing motorists to avoid locating their vehicle at an impound facility and incurring additional towing and storage fees.”