Bob Adams wrote:

Wasn't the original plan for Oysters a card that you could just wave in
the air somewhere in the general vicinity of a reader - in order to
speed up passage through the gates - instead of "Make sure you place
your card flat on the reader and don't slide it around" ?

At one station I've seen, there was a handwritten notice on the customer
information board that said (roughly):

"Oyster Card customers: your card is not a swipe card.
Please PLACE it on the yellow pad.
Plinky plonky, not swipey-swipey."

!!

J