The Subang Jaya Municipal Council went into overdrive barely a week after the general election, installing parking machines in the Bandar Puteri Puching commercial centre.

The haste with which these ‘pay and display’ meters were erected, the solar powered machines baffled residents because the instructions on how to use the meter are in Dutch, and by looking at the euro symbol on the instruction display, users can be forgiven if they think the machines accept only euro coins.

According to a report in Sin Chew Daily, only one meter is installed on each street, which means motorists have to walk a distance to pay and get a receipt.

One cannot help but notice that the meter is installed in such a way that it takes up a parking bay, thus aggravating parking problems in the congested town.

The report said the meters look weathered and are probably second hand machines, originating from the city of Gent in Belgium.

A council spokesman, when told the meters’ instructions are in dutch, said it will dispatch its officers to look into the matter.