Tourists will soon have to rely on their own two feet to explore Central Park. A fight that has been nearly two decades in the making to ban horse drawn carriages in NYC is finally coming to an official vote–and it’s looking like the carriages won’t be part of New York City’s future.
New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani and City Council Speaker Julie Menin have reached an agreement on the decades-long controversy, officially striking a deal to ban horse-drawn carriages in Central Park.
A Central Park staple since the 1800s
Horse-drawn carriages have been a fixture in Central Park since it opened in 1858, cementing themselves as one of the park’s most recognizable tourist attractions.
Today, there are 68 licensed carriages operating in the city. The industry is highly invested, with some owners spending hundreds of thousands of dollars on city-issued medallions and carriage licenses.
The carriages haven’t come without controversy
For decades, animal rights activists and welfare groups have lobbied to ban the rides, arguing that the bustling, traffic-heavy streets of Manhattan are unsafe environments for horses.
The fight gained unprecedented momentum this past summer.
On June 17, an 18-year-old tourist named Romanch Mahajan tragically fell to his death when a carriage horse got spooked and bolted in the park. Originally called “Ryder’s Law”—after a carriage horse collapsed from exhaustion in Hell’s Kitchen and died months later—the legislation to ban the carriages was recently renamed “Romanch’s Law” in memory of the young tourist.
When will the NYC carriage horse ban take effect?
Following the agreement announced on Tuesday, October 13, Menin confirmed that the City Council will hold a vote on Thursday, October 22 on legislation to phase out the industry.
Sharing his support for the bill, Mayor Mamdani stated:
The horse carriage industry is coming to an end in New York City. Administration will make sure workers and owners are protected and the horses are safe.
If the October 22 vote passes, officials will completely phase out the Central Park horse carriage industry by June 1, 2028.
The legislation includes provisions for a workforce development program to assist carriage drivers in transitioning to new jobs, and ensures the horses will be safely relocated to sanctuaries.
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