Plan to tackle Manhattan congestion gets mixed reactions

New York

IT IS not just commuters who would pay under a new proposal to charge US$11.52 for driving into Manhattan's busiest neighbourhoods on a weekday.

There is also the older patient going to NYU Langone Medical Center, the art historian visiting the Whitney Museum of American Art, and even the army of food cart vendors who help sustain hungry office workers and tourists every day. They would all pay, too.

"I cannot pull it by hand," said Nas Ahmdi, gesturing to the silver food cart that he hitches each day to his blue SUV, which he drives into Midtown Manhattan from his home in New Jersey.

"The…