NYC Council will consider horse carriage ban after tourist's death in Central Park
One day after a tourist suffered fatal injuries when horse carriages collided in Central Park, the New York City Council said Thursday it will consider a bill to ban the attractions entirely.
Meanwhile, the NYPD is still investigating the death of 18-year-old Romanch Mahajan, who was on a family trip from India. He died Wednesday after the family's carriage horse bolted, crashed into another carriage and toppled over.
Horse carriage ban heating up
Councilman Christopher Marte is sponsoring a bill that would ban carriage horses citywide after Mahajan's death.
"It's something that could have been completely avoided if we actually took this issue seriously," said Marte. "It's not only banning horse carriages here, but it's helping these workers for two years to transition to better jobs."
Council Speaker Julie Menin plans to hold a hearing on the bill in July.
Mahajan's death is the first known human death related to a carriage incident in Central Park, but it marked the latest of eight carriage horse incidents in just over a year.
A horse died after eating a poisonous plant last week and a driver was injured when a carriage overturned in May. Last year, tourists had to jump from a speeding carriage.
Union says carriage drivers ceased operations for now
A spokesperson for TWU Local 100, the labor union that represents horse carriage drivers, said rides have been paused since the deadly accident, but he remains against an all out ban.
"The legacy of the horse and carriage rides are synonymous with New York," TWU Local 100 Administrative VP Alexander Kemp said. "I think we collectively have to figure out how to make it, a safer industry and utilize all of the tools available to us to do that."
The union is backing a different bill, introduced in the City Council last week, that would increase training for drivers and install hitch posts, so drivers could safely secure their horses in Central Park.
Animal rights activists want city to act fast
Animal rights activists say neither proposed bill goes far enough.
"[Mayor Zohran Mamdani] can order a work stoppage now to prevent further tragedies and we urge him to do this," said Edita Birnkrant, executive director of New Yorkers for Clean, Livable, and Safe Streets.
City Hall has not said whether Mamdani would consider a work stoppage, but the mayor issued a statement.
"I have been clear about my position: it is time to end the horse carriage industry in our parks," Mamdani said.
Ryder's Law, a proposal to wind down the city's horse-drawn carriage industry, was rejected by the City Council weeks before the mayor took office.
