New York City Council Poised to Ban Horse-Drawn Carriages

New York City lawmakers are on the verge of voting on a bill that would effectively ban horse-drawn carriages from Central Park, a tradition that dates back to the late 1800s. The City Council is expected to approve the legislation next week, which mandates the abolition of the carriage rides by June 1, 2028.

This move follows an agreement between Mayor Zohran Mamdani and City Council Speaker Julie Menin. Mamdani's office stated that they have been working with the City Council, union partners, carriage drivers, animal welfare advocates, and community leaders to ensure a "just transition that protects workers while ending horse-drawn carriages in Central Park once and for all."

Menin, the first sitting City Council speaker to support the legislation, remarked, "We can honor our city's traditions while recognizing when it's time to move forward in the interest of public safety, protecting workers, and strengthening our city's economic vitality."

A City Hall spokesperson indicated that the administration has been developing a detailed plan for the workforce and industry transition, including discussions about compensation for medallion owners.

Calls for a Ban Intensify

Animal rights advocates have long called for an end to the horse-drawn carriages, citing incidents of alleged animal abuse and the deaths of carriage horses. PETA Director of Outreach Communications Ashley Byrne expressed that New Yorkers are "sick and tired of seeing exhausted, sick, lame, elderly horses struggling to pull carriages through Midtown Manhattan, collapsing in the streets."

Activists have characterized the industry as cruel, pointing to instances where horses, startled by city traffic, have bolted into vehicles or onto sidewalks. The push for a ban gained significant momentum after a June 17 incident where 18-year-old Romanch Mahajan died after being thrown from a runaway carriage in Central Park. Mahajan, who was visiting from India to celebrate his graduation, was reportedly killed when the carriage collided with another and overturned.

This tragedy led to the renaming of the proposed legislation from "Ryder's Law" to "Romanch's Law." Byrne stated, "It is tragic and absolutely unforgivable that this industry insisted on dragging this out until countless horses and a teenage human being with his whole life ahead of him died of accidents that never should have happened."

The Central Park Conservancy reported that Mahajan's death marked the eighth horse-related incident in or near the park within approximately 13 months. Earlier in June, a carriage horse named Deniz collapsed and died while pulling tourists.

Union Opposition

Alexander Kemp, administrative vice president of the Transit Workers Union (TWU) Local 100, which represents about 160 Central Park carriage drivers, criticized the bill and the lawmakers supporting it. Kemp argued that the City Council used Mahajan's death to build support for the ban after previous attempts failed, shifting the focus from animal welfare to human safety.

"And they crafted legislation around that, because there was no appetite or evidence to prove that the animals were mistreated and that it was an animal welfare issue. Now they made it a human rights issue. Now they make it a safety issue," Kemp said.

He also expressed concern for the carriage drivers, many of whom are immigrants nearing retirement age, and suggested that Mamdani's administration, which campaigned on a pro-worker platform, is betraying them. "If you're going to say to my face that you got labor's back, and then in the middle of the night you take a vote to eliminate a whole industry, well, then that is anti-labor. That is not pro-worker," Kemp stated.

Kemp further criticized the administration for supporting legislation that could eliminate jobs held by immigrants, questioning their commitment to pro-immigrant policies.

Transition Plan Details

The proposed legislation includes a timeline for city agencies to develop a workforce transition plan for drivers and other industry workers by April 1, 2027. The plan is also required to consider compensation for carriage owners. Under the bill, carriage owners would be prohibited from selling their horses for slaughter or for use in other carriage businesses, requiring them to be rehomed or placed in a "humane manner."

Mamdani stated, "I think we have a civic responsibility to ensure that we are not leaving anybody out to dry."

The City Council is scheduled to vote on the bill on October 22.