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After a tragic summer involving horse-drawn carriage rides, including the death of a horse and an 18-year-old visitor from India, New York City legislators are set to pass a law banning the controversial tourist activity.
On Oct. 22, the City Council will vote on Romanch's Law, effectively outlawing a Central Park tradition that dates back to the 1850s. In recent years, the buggy rides have drawn the ire of various groups, including animal welfare advocates, politicians, local New Yorkers and the Central Park Conservancy.
"Advocates have spent years warning that the carriage industry is dangerous for both horses and passengers, but every effort to end it has stalled," said Simon Kostelanetz, a spokesperson for council member Christopher Marte, the bill's prime sponsor. "The Council now has a chance to stop more animals from suffering and prevent another family from experiencing a tragedy."
According to Marte, a majority of the council - at least 29 members out of 51 - supports Romanch's Law, which was renamed in honor of Romanch Mahajan, the carriage passenger who died in June during a runaway horse incident. On Tuesday, New York City Council Speaker Julie Menin and Mayor Zohran Mamdani reached an agreement to phase out the sightseeing excursion, essentially ending a long-running debate over the humaneness of using horses for urban joyrides.
"We applaud the City Council for finally taking on this issue," Betsy Smith, president and CEO of the Central Park Conservancy, said in a statement. "For the Central Park Conservancy, this has always been a matter of public safety. We hope carriages can be phased out efficiently and humanely so that no one else ever suffers the fate of Romanch Mahajan."
Opponents of the carriage rides have been pushing for a ban since 2007. The issue garnered attention in 2022, when an elderly horse named Ryder crumpled to the ground in Hell's Kitchen after working more than seven hours on a hot day. The issue has never disappeared, but it gained momentum this summer after the June death of a spotted draft horse named Deniz and the fatal fall of Mahajan, who was visiting New York City with his family.
According to the most current iteration of the proposal shared with The Washington Post, as of June 1, 2028, the law will prohibit horse-drawn vehicles for hire, with a few exceptions, such as a temporary exhibit, performance or display. Existing licenses will expire by May 31, 2028, and the city will not process any new applications or issue license renewals. Upon a licensed horse's retirement, the bill ensures the animal's welfare, stating that it cannot be sent to slaughter.
Drivers who do not abide by the law could incur severe penalties, such as expensive fines and jail time.
"This is a historic opportunity for New York City to leave an outdated practice behind and embrace a more humane future," said John Goodwin, senior managing director of equine protection at Humane World for Animals. "The growing support for ending horse-drawn carriages sends a clear message: Animal welfare matters, and horses deserve better than a lifetime in traffic."
The bill also addresses the livelihood of the buggy owners and drivers, a main contention point for the Transport Workers Union of America, which represents the workers. According to the proposal, a designated agency will establish a workforce transition program that includes such assistance as career counseling, job placement programs and a referral system for similar industries, such as the New York City taxi and limousine commission, tour bus companies, pedicab operators, and the hospitality and tourism sectors. Earlier versions of the bill also floated the idea of electric carriages, a switch that a number of cities, such as Philadelphia, Brussels and Mumbai, have made.
In response to the death of Deniz, TWU International president John Samuelsen suggested new applicants receive better training and tougher exams, with a focus on hitching and street safety protocols. The union also recommended installing hitching posts in the park, which animal rights groups and other dissenters dismissed as inadequate. The director of communications at Transport Workers Union Local 100 did not immediately reply to a request for comment.
"The horse carriage industry is coming to an end in New York City," Mamdani posted on X. "Our administration will make sure workers and owners are protected and the horses are safe."
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