New York City’s iconic horse-drawn carriages expected to take their last trot

By Mark Morales, Gloria Pazmino, CNN

New York (CNN) — New York City’s iconic Central Park horse-drawn carriage industry is nearing its end after Mayor Zohran Mamdani and City Council Speaker Julie Menin reached a deal on legislation that aims to abolish the carriage rides.

Menin is expected to bring legislation to the council floor for a vote later this month, a spokesperson told CNN. The ban, which will be implemented in phases, will take effect on June 1, 2028, according to a copy of the legislation reviewed by CNN.

The move comes after years of criticism from animal rights advocates who charge that the horses are overworked, get easily scared and live in inadequate stables with drivers flouting city regulations. Horse and carriage owners have denied the the claims, arguing the animals are well cared for and the stables are up to code.

“We have been working closely with the City Council, union partners, carriage drivers, animal welfare advocates, and community leaders to deliver a just transition that protects workers while ending horse-drawn carriages in Central Park once and for all,” Sneha Choudhary, a spokesperson for City Hall, said in a statement.

New Yorkers for Clean, Livable and Safe Streets, a group that has been pushing for the ban for several years, as well as two mayoral administrations said the agreement would finally put an end to the “cruel and dangerous horse-drawn carriages.”

“This moment belongs to the advocates and supporters who have spent years fighting with NYCLASS to protect horses and people on our city’s streets,” Edita Birnkrant, executive director of NYCLASS, said in a statement.

Momentum to ban the century-old attraction was renewed following the death of 18-year-old tourist Romanch Mahajan, who was killed after he was thrown from a runaway horse-drawn carriage in Central Park last summer.

Mahajan is believed to be the first person to have died in a carriage accident since the rides were introduced more than 150 years ago, according to the industry’s labor union and the Central Park Conservancy, which manages the park.

“The tragic and preventable death of 18-year-old Romanch Mahajan made clear that the status quo is no longer acceptable,” Menin said in a statement. “Horse drawn carriages have long been part of New York City’s history, but in an increasingly busy Central Park, this tradition has become a growing public safety liability. Next week, the Council will take decisive action by voting on Romanch’s Law to protect New Yorkers, visitors, and the horses themselves.”

Councilman Chris Marte, the primary sponsor of the bill, told CNN the legislation currently has 29 co-sponsors. Marte said he expects the bill will sail through the council and secure a majority of the votes.

Marte said last minute negotiations between the city council and city hall also helped deliver a provision outlining what will happen to the horses once the industry is phased out. Horse owners will be required to notify the Mayor’s Office of Animal Welfare before disposing of the animals, and the bill explicitly forbids that horses are sold or transferred for slaughter or for use in another horse-drawn business.

The decision to ban the practice is a blow to the Transportation Workers Union TWU Local 100, the union that represents horse carriage drivers. The union for years has argued their workers will be left without a way to make a living. In recent years, as scrutiny from critics of the industry intensified, the union has increased training and safety measures for drivers.

“Council Speaker Menin’s bill has no meaningful economic relief for workers. It only says the city should prepare a worker transition plan by April 2027 and include weak measures like job fairs and job counseling,” Transport Workers Union International President John Samuelsen said in a statement. “Council Speaker Menin used the tragic death of a tourist to contrive a public safety crisis. This is disgraceful political opportunism, and Zohran should not simply go along with it, particularly when immigrant families’ livelihoods are being destroyed. This entire situation is reprehensible.”

As part of their negotiation, Mamdani and Menin also reached a deal to include an “industry transition framework,” a spokesperson for Menin told CNN. The framework will require the city to come up with a plan to help workers transition into new jobs.

According to a copy of the legislation, reviewed by CNN, Mamdani will designate a city agency charged with implementing the transition and offer potential jobs and training across different agencies, including the NYC Taxi and Limousine Commission, the MTA, NYC Transit, the Port Authority and hospitality and tourism industries.

This is a developing story and will be updated.

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