NYC Council and Mayor Plan Phased Ban of Central Park Carriage Horses

The New York City Council and Mayor Zohran Mamdani announced on Tuesday that the city will move to ban carriage horses in Central Park. Council Speaker Julie Menin said the council will hold a vote on Oct. 22 to adopt a phased approach to ending the industry. Mamdani said his administration will ensure that both workers and owners are protected and that the horses are kept safe.

Animal-rights groups have long called for the removal of the carriage horses, a issue that featured prominently in former Mayor Bill de Blasio’s 2013 campaign but remained unchanged during his tenure. Momentum for the ban grew after a carriage horse collapsed and died in June, followed weeks later by the death of 18-year-old tourist Romanch Mahajan, who fell from a runaway carriage horse.

In response, councilmembers renamed a proposed ban after Mahajan and conducted a day-long hearing on the measure. Menin said the legislation is intended to help carriage drivers who could lose their jobs, adding that the city will develop a plan to connect affected workers with new economic opportunities.

John Samuelsen, president of the Transport Workers Union, which represents carriage drivers, said the bill does not provide sufficient economic relief for families that have worked in the industry for generations. "The bill offers no real economic relief for the families who worked their whole lives in this industry," Samuelsen wrote via text.

Edita Birnkrant, executive director of the animal-rights organization NYCLASS, called the decision a long-fought victory, noting that previous mayors, including Eric Adams, had also attempted to end the practice without success. "We've had too many tragedies," Birnkrant said. "New Yorkers are done. They want this over. They want these horses off the streets and retired into sanctuaries."

The Central Park Conservancy, which supported a ban for the first time last year, also welcomed the move. City officials are simultaneously addressing safety concerns on the Central Park loop, where three fatalities, including Mahajan’s, have occurred in recent months.