The Birmingham age-herald., 1908-09-18
LONDON TAX|METER USED IN NEW YORK Curious Little Autos Charge Ten
 Cents a Mile PAY- AS- Y0U- ENTER CARS The speed-Mad Pedestrian Against the Much Abused chauffeur-New
 York Topics of General
 Interest.
PAY AS- YOU ENTER CARS
By ANNIE kENDRlcK WALKER.

New York, September H.-(Special)- From London has come the taxmeter, threading it's way among the other autos and English cabs, and Greater New York now rides in these new vehicles which have become familiar to Americans in London the past year.
 A taximeter is an auto that registers the number of miles. Fifty - cents Is charged for the first mile and 10 cents for each mile thereafter. But as a taxi meter seats four persons besides the chauffeur the cost of motoring is much reduced where there Is party of three or four
 They are somewhat different from the ordinary motor car and are very snug and comfortable, with heavy tops. They are painted a light green or bright red, and great many have made their ap- pearance on Fifth avenue and elsewhere.
 As it takes 20 New York blocks to make one mile it Is easy to figure out how much it costs to ride in one of these funny little taximeters. Say from West Eighty sixth street to the flat iron building at Twenty-third and Broadway.
 
 half hour sooner and the surface cars about half hour later, but neither of them are as agreeable as the taximeter. Perhaps some enterprising person will introduce the London taximeter in Br- mingham which is certainly getting to be a place of magnificent distances.
 Among the latest innovations in New York are the pay-as-you-enter cars, which have been put on Madison avenue. These cars have different doors for you to enter and to leave, although both are at the rear of the car. One of them is marked 'in' and the other out" and there is no confusion. You hand your fare to the conductor the moment you step on the platform of the car. The car is equipped with bells, and as every one is compelled to enter by the same door and leave by another all of the commotion and crowding is eliminated.
 It has now been decided that pedes- trians are speed-mad, or at least that there Is a class of pedestrians who are speed mad. Almost ever since the ad- vent of the automobile the whole ten dency has been to discuss the violators of the speed ordinance, and the whole world has turned against the chauffeur Reckless driving has been condemned by every one and a bloodless war Is constant ly being waged against the automobilists
 New York, accustomed to auto accl- dents, has now turned upon the speed mad pedestrians It does not condons the criminal carelessness of motor drivers and the indifference of speed violators. But 1t recognizes that there is q class of pedestrians who do mad things in city of autos and congested crossings, who look neither to the right nor the left, who rush diagonally across streets and en- danger their lives by their own careless ness. Then if an automobile knocks them down they prosecute the chauffeur.
 Speed pedestrians'' is new term in New York. The reaction has come in favor of the abused chauffeur. And no doubt the time coming when the chauffeur will haze the pedestrian ar rested for having bumped into his car. It looks that way in New York.