WHY PERTH'S OWN LYCRA-WEARING SUPERHERO IS HELPING DRIVERS

Trevor Paddenburg From: The Sunday Times August 25, 2012

He's a lean, green, stripey-sock wearing machine. He's Wheel Clamp Man and he's out to help you. Source: Supplied

HE'S the wheel clamp crusader, armed with an angle grinder and coming to the rescue of illegally parked motorists in Perth.

Wearing a green lycra suit, a bright red cape and coloured socks, the vehicle vigilante swoops to the aid of stranded drivers who fall prey to parking inspectors.
He hacks open wheel clamps with a battery-powered angle grinder, leaving motorists free to drive off and avoid a $135 release fee.
And he does it all free, asking only for a donation which goes to the homeless.
While "Wheel Clamp Man" is a hero to motorists, police say he is a menace and want the public to dob him in.
"He is committing the offence of criminal damage and if people have any info, they should contact Crime Stoppers and we will deal with him," a WA Police spokesman said.

This week The Sunday Times tracked down the masked superhero, who would not give his name. He said he began his mission after experiencing the frustration of having his own car clamped.
"I'm taking an ethical stance," he said. "I'm helping people out. I don't feel I'm damaging property.
"The amount of money these companies make off innocent people is insane. Where does that money go? Not into car parks or safer streets. It goes into their pocket.
"Imagine you're an old lady, you don't see the signs, you go to get your groceries and come back and you've been clamped and you have to pay hundreds of dollars.
"I got clamped myself. I went to a car park, pulled in, couldn't see any signs, and I must have walked less than 100m and I was clamped. It was a con because they were watching."
The caped crusader said he had sawn off several clamps across Perth in the past fortnight and he vowed sparks from his grinder would continue to fly as he fought "greedy" councils and wheel clampers.
When he spots a clamped car, he dons his costume and mask and asks if the driver wants the device removed.
"Depending on the clamp, it takes less than a minute," he said. "That's when my heart starts racing because you never know when a police patrol is around the corner."
He said he put the costume together himself and decided to become a superhero in a storyline reminiscent of the movie Kick Ass, in which a high-school comic-book fan becomes a vigilante character.
Wheel Clamp Man said his superhero persona was also modelled on England's Angle Grinder Man, another who comes to the aid of wheel-clamp victims.
"I wear the costume because a lot of streets have CCTV," he said. "I always keep it with me, so I can get changed in the car and jump out with my angle grinder."
Government figures reveal WA drivers owe more than $250 million in about 740,000 unpaid motoring fines.
While private car park operators clamp cars, the WA Local Government Association said councils used fines only to enforce parking rules.
Wilson Parking chief executive Craig Smith said wheel clamping was "only used as the last option for parkers who have multiple unpaid breach notices".
http://www.perthnow.com.au/news/why-perths-own-lycra-wearing-superhero-is-helping-drivers/story-e6frg12c-1226458110813