Are we speeding down the wrong track on protection?

Most of these initiatives seem to have been started with genuinely good intentions, but I wonder how many of them are adequately thought through before roll out, because often all the good intentions are eliminated when the reality of the implementation hits home. For example, my local train company cut the number of conductors selling tickets on the train about a year ago and replaced them with a ticket vending machine in the local stations. Their marketing message was that this was much more convenient for customers who could purchase their tickets at their leisure. This is a great idea...