NEW YORK CITY COUNCIL BANS HORSE-DRAWN CARRIAGE RIDES

New York City Council voted on Thursday to ban horse-drawn carriage rides, with operations due to end in June 2028. Councillors passed Romanch’s Law, which takes its name from Romanch Mahajan, who died after falling from a runaway carriage. The decision affects roughly 200 drivers in Central Park, where carriage rides have operated for more than 160 years. Mayor Zohran Mamdani backs the ban and said he would help develop a plan for affected workers. Earlier on Thursday, the council’s health committee approved the measure by six votes to three.

In June, a carriage horse bolted while Mahajan, a visitor from India, rode with his family in Central Park. Mahajan fell from the carriage and died, and his family attended Thursday’s council hearing. The vote also followed the death this year of Deniz, a carriage horse that ate a toxic plant in the park. The Manhattan Borough President’s office says 40 horses working in Central Park have died since 1982, citing overheating and collisions among the causes. Earlier proposals to ban the rides met opposition from councillors and unions representing drivers.

Romanch’s Law calls for a plan in 2027 to help affected workers and business owners leave the industry. Before the council vote, carriage workers and members of Transport Workers Union Local 100 gathered outside City Hall to oppose the measure or seek more time for negotiations. John Samuelsen, the union’s president, said the legislation offered no firm retraining plan: “There’s nothing concrete at all.” Driver Alexus Lawson questioned what would happen to her horse, Starlight, when she could no longer work with her. Other New Yorkers and tourists welcomed the ban, citing concerns about the horses’ welfare.