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Not saying this is the reason NYC doesn't have pancake robots anymore, but it seems like New York in general has banned certain types of automation in order to

by umvi 7y ago

Not saying this is the reason NYC doesn't have pancake robots anymore, but it seems like New York in general has banned certain types of automation in order to preserve jobs. For example, that's why you still see - in 2019 - manual toll booth workers sitting in glass boxes in NY instead of automated tolls like every other state has.

warent 7y ago
Something about that seems wrong. I definitely respect the fact that someone will do the job, but isn't that basically the equivalent of a universal basic income except you're forcing the person to waste half their day doing trivial work? (FWIW I support a UBI)
- JackFr 7y ago
  It's worse than that -- you're making them suck exhaust fumes all day.
  - hanniabu 7y ago
    Plot twist, their real job is to be a human air filter /s
- zhoujianfu 7y ago
  That’s exactly why UBI is the right answer and a “guaranteed jobs” program is 100% the worst answer and terrible!
psychometry 7y ago
It "seems like"? Do you have any evidence for such a state law?
- umvi 7y ago
  I'm not a NY resident so I don't know. If not a law, it's possible labor unions push back against automation, allowing their union members to continue to be toll booth collectors
  - genericlogic 7y ago
    Actually the conversion to fully automated is in the end stages. https://www.bizjournals.com/albany/news/2019/06/18/cashless-tolling-new-york-state-thruway-bestpass.html https://www.bizjournals.com/albany/news/2019/06/18/cashless-...
wonderwonder 7y ago
Not sure if this law exists in relation to toll booths but there are some laws in place that do seem to be geared towards what you describe such as being unable to pump your own gas. NY does have EZ pass though on toll lanes
sillypuddy 7y ago
Are you talking about a specific toll booth? There is Fast-Trak in NYC.
0xffff2 7y ago
Some California toll roads still have manned booths (others have been 100% automated for many years). It's not a matter of providing jobs; it just costs a lot to put the infrastructure into place so it doesn't happen overnight or all at once.
perl4ever 7y ago
NY has EZ-Pass, which is an automated toll-collecting system. Things aren't as efficient as they could be, but you are being misleading.
shantly 7y ago
> For example, that's why you still see - in 2019 - manual toll booth workers sitting in glass boxes in NY instead of automated tolls like every other state has. Does Kansas have the same protections? Plenty of humans in booths on the Turnpike.
porknubbins 7y ago
I think its more likely they just don’t fire a few hundred people on the few bridges and tunnels in from NJ that probably pull in millions a day. All new bride tolls I’ve seen have cameras and toll processed do not stop signs.
Larrikin 7y ago
As someone from a city covered in tolls, Richmond, the workers serve what may seem like an insignificant but very important role. They provide change and do so quickly. Atleast in Virginia, the attendants are usually off to the right side with the other slower traffic. They have the change available right away, usually in several different sets for the most common ways of paying. I believe the big bucket machines used to provide change back when tolls were well under a dollar, but they would just overfill since most people didn't even know they could get change back and were just mad they didn't have correct change. Some kind of vending machine style system of people trying to insert dollars on the highway would just cause more problems. Its been especially awful recently when they've tried to remove them. EZ-Pass has started to become fairly common, but so has the ubiquitness of debit cards and credit cards so people are lacking cash and change more often. The automation on tickets has increased to near perfect levels, so when someone doesn't have change on hand they end up trying to back up and cross over several lanes to the single one or they root around in their car for minutes looking for any change when there are no attendants.

by umvi 7y ago

warent 7y ago

Something about that seems wrong. I definitely respect the fact that someone will do the job, but isn't that basically the equivalent of a universal basic income except you're forcing the person to waste half their day doing trivial work? (FWIW I support a UBI)

JackFr 7y ago
It's worse than that -- you're making them suck exhaust fumes all day.
- hanniabu 7y ago
  Plot twist, their real job is to be a human air filter /s
zhoujianfu 7y ago
That’s exactly why UBI is the right answer and a “guaranteed jobs” program is 100% the worst answer and terrible!

psychometry 7y ago

It "seems like"? Do you have any evidence for such a state law?

umvi 7y ago
I'm not a NY resident so I don't know. If not a law, it's possible labor unions push back against automation, allowing their union members to continue to be toll booth collectors
- genericlogic 7y ago
  Actually the conversion to fully automated is in the end stages. https://www.bizjournals.com/albany/news/2019/06/18/cashless-tolling-new-york-state-thruway-bestpass.html https://www.bizjournals.com/albany/news/2019/06/18/cashless-...

wonderwonder 7y ago

Not sure if this law exists in relation to toll booths but there are some laws in place that do seem to be geared towards what you describe such as being unable to pump your own gas. NY does have EZ pass though on toll lanes

sillypuddy 7y ago

Are you talking about a specific toll booth? There is Fast-Trak in NYC.

0xffff2 7y ago

Some California toll roads still have manned booths (others have been 100% automated for many years). It's not a matter of providing jobs; it just costs a lot to put the infrastructure into place so it doesn't happen overnight or all at once.

perl4ever 7y ago

NY has EZ-Pass, which is an automated toll-collecting system. Things aren't as efficient as they could be, but you are being misleading.

shantly 7y ago

> For example, that's why you still see - in 2019 - manual toll booth workers sitting in glass boxes in NY instead of automated tolls like every other state has. Does Kansas have the same protections? Plenty of humans in booths on the Turnpike.

porknubbins 7y ago

I think its more likely they just don’t fire a few hundred people on the few bridges and tunnels in from NJ that probably pull in millions a day. All new bride tolls I’ve seen have cameras and toll processed do not stop signs.

Larrikin 7y ago

As someone from a city covered in tolls, Richmond, the workers serve what may seem like an insignificant but very important role. They provide change and do so quickly. Atleast in Virginia, the attendants are usually off to the right side with the other slower traffic. They have the change available right away, usually in several different sets for the most common ways of paying. I believe the big bucket machines used to provide change back when tolls were well under a dollar, but they would just overfill since most people didn't even know they could get change back and were just mad they didn't have correct change. Some kind of vending machine style system of people trying to insert dollars on the highway would just cause more problems. Its been especially awful recently when they've tried to remove them. EZ-Pass has started to become fairly common, but so has the ubiquitness of debit cards and credit cards so people are lacking cash and change more often. The automation on tickets has increased to near perfect levels, so when someone doesn't have change on hand they end up trying to back up and cross over several lanes to the single one or they root around in their car for minutes looking for any change when there are no attendants.