A horse carriage ban is gaining steam within the Metropolis Council following the freak accident that precipitated the dying of an 18-year-old Indian vacationer in Central Park this week.
Some Council members stated the tragedy — believed to be the primary time in current reminiscence {that a} passenger was killed whereas using in a horse carriage — may be the proverbial remaining straw for the beleaguered trade.
“Is it the straw that broke the camel’s again? I feel so,” stated Councilman Frank Morano, a Staten Island Republican and co-sponsor of “Ryder’s Regulation,” which might outlaw horse carriages in New York Metropolis.
“We now have an 18-year-old boy who got here right here to have a good time his commencement who’s leaving in a coffin. It’s completely unacceptable,” Morano informed The Submit on Thursday.
“The time for treating these accidents as remoted incidents is over,” he stated. “It’s an trade that not is smart.”
Mayor Zohran Mamdani has stated he helps outlawing carriage rides in Central Park, a pledge he made on the marketing campaign path.
“I assist eradicating horse carriages from Central Park,” Mamdani stated in January.
Mamdani’s predecessors Eric Adams and Invoice de Blasio additionally supported a horse carriage ban, although it by no means got here to move throughout their tenures.
Opponents — together with the union representing carriage drivers — stated they’ve heard the clamor in years previous following accidents or deaths involving carriage horses, solely to see laws stall when controversy subsided as a result of the report exhibits the animals are effectively handled.
However the brand new Council has expressed extra of an curiosity in animal rights, just lately creating an animal welfare caucus that features 20 of the legislative physique’s 51 members, together with Morano.
Council Speaker Julie Menin has ordered a listening to subsequent month on Morano’s invoice, named after Ryder, a Central Park carriage horse who tragically collapsed whereas engaged on a scorching August day in 2022. The invoice stalled in committee final yr.
“Previously two weeks alone, we’ve seen the tragic deaths of each a horse and now a teenage carriage passenger, Romanch Mahajan,” Menin stated, referring to the June 9 incident wherein a carriage horse named Deniz collapsed and died in Central Park, doubtless from consuming a poisonous plant.
“These incidents exhibit that it’s time to chart a greater path ahead that addresses animal welfare and public security, and in addition ensures the livelihood and financial prosperity of the employees,” Menin stated.
Councilwoman Kamillah Hanks, a Staten Island Democrat, stated, “One thing has to vary. This tragedy is a name for the Metropolis Council to reply. We now have to take an trustworthy and sobering have a look at the horse carriage trade.”
However Queens Democratic Councilman James Gennaro argued the “unthinkable tragedy” was attributable to “human error,” which had nothing to do with animal abuse.
He stated he opposes an outright ban, and as a substitute is proposing different laws to tighten security requirements, together with putting in hitching posts in Central Park the place horses might be secured when passengers get into or out of the carriages or wish to take photos, in addition to extra rigorous coaching for drivers.
However the carriage horse trade is clearly on the defensive.
“We’re completely gutted and shocked by this tragedy. We’ve by no means had a deadly accident like this earlier than,” stated Alexander Kemp, administrative vice chairman with Native 100 of the Transport Employees Union which advocates for carriage riders.
“We now have shuttered the stables and ceased operations immediately whereas we’ve intensive inside discussions of security protocols and the way they are often improved,” stated Kemp, who helps Gennaro’s invoice, not an outright ban on the carriage trade.
Carriage driver Christina Hansen, a TWU store steward, accused animal rights activists of “exploiting” and “politicizing” a horrible tragedy, as they’ve previously.
“Let’s take a step again and to not rush judgment,” she stated.
