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28 Aug 2012

Speedmonkey Hero - Wheel Clamp Man



Forget Batman - Perth, Australia, has it's own superhero and as far as we are concerned he's a force for good.


Illegally parked motorists can be a pain for other road users but more often than not a ticking off from a warden or big sticker on the windscreen are sufficient enough to make them see the error of their ways.

Which is why we hate wheel clampers, their pesky fines and the sheer inconvenience of getting the clamps removed.

And this is where Wheel Clamp Man comes to the rescue.  Wearing a green lycra suit, bright red cape and stripy socks Wheel Clamp Man is on hand to swoop in, armed with his angle grinder, to remove the offending yellow menace.

And he does it for free, asking only for a donation to a homeless charity.

Whilst motorists in Perth love him the police absolutely do not.  Spoilsports.  But they haven't managed to apprehend him yet.

Perth's Sunday times tracked down the caped crusader for an interview.

"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."


He also said he had sawn off several clamps across Perth with his angle grinder in the past fortnight and would continue to do so as long as "greedy" councils continued to collect fines.

When he spots a clamp he puts his costume on and asks the driver if they want it removed. If they they do it takes him about a minute to remove it.

What a guy! Speedmonkey thinks Wheel Clamp Man is great and is welcome to come and take a tour of the UK whenever he wants.


Photo and interview text courtesy of Sunday Times, Perth