A New York commission has approved a plan to charge a fee to drivers entering Manhattan during peak hours. The proposal, aimed at reducing traffic congestion and pollution, differs only slightly from what Mayor Michael Bloomberg proposed in April; it would charge $8 to drivers entering a certain area between 6 a.m. and 6 p.m., and put the funding toward public transit. The plan must now be approved by the city council, Bloomberg, and the state legislature — where some expect it will hit a snarl. But if the state does approve the plan, the federal government has allocated a few million bucks to help rev it up.
