A contender for the most bewildering...

...overly complicated and unnecessary parking meter in the world. 

What happened to just buying a sticky ticket for the windscreen?

This view is not without substantial experience. During the summer holidays when I was fourteen I was employed (child labour exploitation was common then) to charge people parking on the West Sands in St Andrews. Money, ticket, money. ticket. Easy and no infringement of civil liberties with recording your licence plate, time, date and duration along with your debit card pin number. Outrageous.

Anyway, all the garden grass is cut and the first swathe of peas harvested. Few made it to the kitchen.