New York Council Bans Horse-Drawn Carriages, Ending a 160-Year Park Tradition
Seven Lights
The New York City Council passed a bill Thursday banning horse-drawn carriage rides in the city by 2028, CBS News reported. Lawmakers voted Thursday afternoon on Romanch’s Law, legislation named after Romanch Mahajan, 18, who died during a carriage accident in Central Park in June, CBS News said.
“The mayor will sign this bill, and the Mamdani administration is working every day to ensure we can do so while providing the strongest possible protections for the owners and workers in this industry,” Mamdani’s office said in a statement to CBS News. The ban ends operations in June 2028, with a transition plan for workers and owners required in 2027, and the bill also calls for the humane placement of the animals, CBS News reported. The carriages have been part of the park since its inception more than 160 years ago, CBS News said; the BBC’s video report on the vote said the final catalyst for the ban was the death of an 18-year-old after a carriage horse bolted earlier this year.
“We want to make sure Romanch’s death was not in vain,” Saggar Chadha, the attorney for Romanch’s family, said, as quoted by CBS News. “Not just for Romanch, but so no one else is killed or injured by horse-drawn carriages in New York City.” Council member Christopher Marte said before the vote: “With a majority of the Council behind us, we have a historic opportunity to protect New Yorkers, visitors, workers, and animals, and we intend to finish the job,” according to CBS News.
Carriage owners and their families, arguing the plan doesn’t go far enough, rallied outside City Hall this week, CBS News reported. “I invested $400,000 two years ago to expand my father’s dream, and you’re coming here to steal it,” owner Francesco Riccobono said; his wife, Natalie Riccobono, said the family was “asking for fairness” and “a seat at the table.” The Transport Workers Union said it is prepared to challenge the ban in federal court, and TWU lawyer Ben Kallos said he believes a judge will overturn the legislation because the economic impact analysis required by the city charter was left blank, CBS News reported.
City Council Speaker Julie Menin said in an interview with NY1 that the ban is necessary to protect animals and public safety, CBS News reported. “Forty-two million people use Central Park each and every year, and the horse carriages are operating in a very crowded area. We’ve had numerous accidents that have happened where horses have been spooked; they’ve broken free,” Menin said.
President Donald Trump also weighed in on the vote, calling the end of the horse-drawn carriage industry “sad” and arguing the move was driven by a single tragic accident, CBS News reported. “When there is a car accident in the area, of which there are many, they don’t stop cars from entering the Park. So why would they stop the carriages? It was a great tradition. Another piece of history that’s gone. It will be missed,” he said. The Hill reported on Trump’s criticism of the council’s passage of the ban.