NYC Council to vote on ban of horse-drawn carriages by 2028

The New York City Council is set to vote on legislation that would ban horse-drawn carriages in Central Park beginning in June 2028. The measure, scheduled for a council vote on 22 October, follows the death of an 18-year-old visitor who fell from a carriage after the horse bolted earlier this year.

Council Speaker Julie Menin said the practice has become a "growing public safety liability" in the increasingly busy park and that the vote will protect residents, tourists and the horses themselves. The mayor’s office confirmed support for the ban and outlined an "industry transition framework" that would offer job placement, training, career counseling and financial compensation to carriage drivers and owners. The plan also prohibits the sale of the horses for slaughter.

The proposal, dubbed Romanch’s Law in memory of the teenager, has the backing of a council majority, according to a spokesperson for the speaker. It follows earlier attempts to curb the industry, including a 2014 initiative by former mayor Bill de Blasio that called for electric-vehicle replacements.

Opposition comes from groups such as the Transport Workers Union, which represents many carriage operators and argues that the horses are well cared for. The union’s president wrote that rising park visitation makes the ban a matter of public health and safety for visitors.