The Nation: And Man Bites Machine

With machines pushing so many people out of jobs, it is comforting to learn that man can occasionally displace a machine. That is what has happened on the highways in Connecticut. Disturbed by bottlenecks at toll booths with exact-change lanes, the Connecticut department of transportation this month will scrap all toll-collecting machines and replace them with human attendants. On busy days, 300 to 350 cars an hour used to pass through the machine-tended lanes, while 600 to 650 autos moved through the lanes that were guarded by people—proving that the human hand can be quicker than the mechanical eye.

Personal collectors offer the additional benefit of being able to say “Thank you” or “Welcome to Connecticut.” State authorities expect to save $ 120,000 a year on motorists who formerly slipped by the automatic collectors without paying. Attendants will at least be able to shout or call the highway patrol.