  In the graphical calculus of planar string diagrams, equality is generated by
exchange moves, which swap the heights of adjacent vertices. We show that left-
and right-handed exchanges each give strongly normalizing rewrite strategies
for connected string diagrams. We use this result to give a linear-time
solution to the equivalence problem in the connected case, and a quadratic
solution in the general case. We also give a stronger proof of the Joyal-Street
coherence theorem, settling Selinger's conjecture on recumbent isotopy.
