Preliminary data from the first few weeks of New York City’s tolling plan show a possible uptick in traffic in the neighborhood.

Early data from the Metropolitan Transportation Authority suggests that traffic has dropped around Manhattan’s core.

Charging drivers to enter Lower Manhattan vindicates the lifelong mission of a Nobel laureate who, as it happened, died behind the wheel of a car.

After twists and turns, a contentious plan meant to reduce traffic and pay for transit improvements is scheduled to take effect at midnight Sunday.

The decision in a lawsuit brought by the State of New Jersey meant that the tolling plan could go ahead as planned, New York said. A lawyer for New Jersey disagreed.

They were the bright lights during a rocky year, making the city a cooler, and fairer, place to be.