Perhaps more councils should follow my local council's approach. You get the first 15 minutes free so you can "click and collect":

"Perth is the first city to recognise the 'click and collect'[0] culture and has introduced a 15 minute free parking policy. This only applies to Council-run car parks and on-street parking spaces. A valid ticket must be displayed and can be acquired free of charge by pressing the button on the parking machine." [1]

Then after that they don't gouge you too much when you do have to pay. Their parking attendants aren't too bad either so if you're two or three minutes late they don't immediately slap on a ticket (unless you're doing something idiotic like parking in a bus stop or abusing disabled spaces).

[0]: "Click and collect" being where you order something online to have it reserved or ordered into the nearest convenient high street store (e.g. Argos, Marks and Spencers, etc).

[1]: http://www.pkc.gov.uk/article/3441/Parking-in-Perth-City-Cen...