Finally: It’ll Cost $15 to Drive into Lower Manhattan

We've known for some time now that, despite the caterwauling of automobile enthusiasts and a federal lawsuit brought by New Jersey, New York City is going to be the first city in the United States to implement congestion pricing. But what will the plan actually look like when it's implemented? That's been the subject of much debate, deliberation, and mystery. Until now! 

Several outlets got their hands on the plan that the Traffic Mobility Review Board will soon submit to the MTA for approval. 

Here's what it looks like: Drivers will pay $15 to take their cars into Manhattan below 60th Street. Commercial trucks will pay as much as $36. Taxis will have an added $1.25 surcharge, and ride-share services like Lyft and Uber will pay an extra $2.50

Okay, but what about exemptions and discounts? Everyone wants special treatment, but who will get it? Will the Hell Gate plan prevail? According to the Times: Low-income drivers will get half off their first 10 daytime entries each month; people driving into the central business district via tunnels will get a $5 discount as they're also paying a tunnel toll; emergency vehicles won't be charged, nor will vehicles ferrying people with disabilities. People making less than $60,000 who live inside the central business district can write the tolls off their taxes. Not getting any kind of break, apparently: People who come into Manhattan on the George Washington Bridge; retired cops; the long-suffering people of Staten Island.

We'll presumably learn more when the plan is formally released, but this taste should be enough to get everyone good and riled up for now.

Meanwhile, some other links to get you good and riled up:

• Relatedly: New Jersey's temper tantrum over congestion pricing is going to delay upgrades to the A and C lines.
• Everyone on social media (and in Cambodia, Vietnam, Argentina, East Timor, Kurdistan, etc.) is celebrating the long-awaited death of Henry Kissinger, but some people (the entire U.S. foreign policy establishment, rich New Yorkers) really liked that guy.
• Cursed ice cream couple loses control of Ample Hills again.
• A good tip is that when you want to hire a hitman to kill a guy for the Indian government you always want to be careful that you aren't actually hiring an undercover FBI agent because they might just arrest you instead and not kill the guy.
• Police drones are hunting for subway surfers.
• Some people at the Fire Department did not like City Hall telling them they had to let Hudson Yards cut to the front of the inspection line.
• Horrible story about a subway track worker getting dragged under a train.
• Parks Department cops arrested an unlicensed vendor at the Grand Army Plaza farmer's market.
• We're finally getting enforcement cameras on buses to discourage people from double parking in bus lanes.
• Don't get it twisted, ladies and gentlemen of the jury: "He didn’t punch Bruno to collect a gambling debt…Bruno told him that he was a washed-up Italian, that he had no balls."

Lastly, consider:

Programming Note: The Hell Gate team is on a company retreat for the rest of the week, tenting our fingers thoughtfully and plotting our ongoing ascent to the top of the media universe. We'll be back to our regular posting schedule next week!