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What is the story about?
New York City has passed a bill that would bring an end to horse-drawn carriage rides here, prompted by months of renewed efforts after the death of an Indian teenager in a horrific carriage incident in Central Park this summer.
The New York City Council Thursday approved 'Romanch’s Law', which will phase out horse-drawn carriages in Central Park by June 1, 2028, while ensuring protections for the workers whose livelihoods have long depended on the industry.
The vote was 40 – 7 with two abstentions. The bill now goes to NYC Mayor Zohran Mamdani for his signature.
The legislation is named after and was passed following the death of 18-year-old Romanch Mahajan, a tourist from India, who died after being thrown from a horse-drawn carriage in Central Park this summer.
Immediately following Mahajan’s death, the City Council held a hearing on the horse carriage industry to examine potential legislative action to wind down the practice, and to receive input from horse-drawn cab owners and operators.
The bill will wind down the industry over the next 19 months and establish a framework for a safe and orderly transition for workers and horses, the City Council said in a statement.
Describing passage of the legislation as history-making, Speaker Julie Menin said the “tragic and preventable” death of Mahajan “underscored the need for urgent action after decades of mounting concerns. From longstanding animal welfare concerns and increasingly extreme heat conditions to historic overcrowding in Central Park, which now welcomes more than 42 million visitors annually, the status quo has become unsustainable and unsafe for horses and people alike.”
The landmark vote to pass Romanch’s Law is a demonstration of the Council’s commitment to animal welfare, public safety, and worker protection, Menin said.
She added that the Council took swift action, hearing hours of testimony from carriage drivers, animal welfare advocates, City officials, and constituents. “The resulting plan establishes a deadline to phase out the industry while ensuring the development of a comprehensive workforce transition that will protect the livelihoods of the hardworking New Yorkers who depend on it.”
‘Romanch’s Law’, sponsored by Council Member Christopher Marte, would wind down the horse-drawn cab industry by prohibiting the issuance of licenses for carriage horses, horse-drawn cabs, and horse-drawn cab drivers on or after June 1, 2028.
Any licenses active as of the effective date of the bill would permanently expire on May 31, 2028, and would no longer be subject to renewal requirements.
Marte said after decades of debate, the persistence of advocates and the “courage of the Mahajan family have helped us reach a point where we can retire these horses safely and help workers build their next chapter.”
Advocacy group Animal Wellness Action applauded the City Council’s vote to phase out the horse-drawn carriage industry, marking a major milestone in the decades-long effort to protect horses from the dangers of working in one of the world’s busiest urban environments.
“This achievement reflects years of dedicated advocacy and the determination of people who refused to give up on a more humane future for New York City,” president of Animal Wellness Action and the Centre for a Humane Economy Wayne Pacelle said.
Earlier this month, NYC Mayor Mamdani and Menin agreed on the legislation that would bring an end to the use of horse-drawn carriages in Central Park.
The legislation was earlier called Ryder's Law, named after a 26-year-old carriage horse that had collapsed in the city in August 2022 while it was being forced to pull a carriage.
Ryder died in October that year and following its death, several animal rights and advocacy groups such as The Animal Legal Defence Fund have been calling for city legislation to ban and replace horse-drawn carriages in New York City.
In the wake of Mahajan’s death, the Central Park Conservancy, entrusted by the City of New York with the complete day-to-day care of the iconic public space, had added that “this is the tragedy we feared when we first called last year for horse carriages to be banned from Central Park due to the risks they pose to public safety and public health. A young man came to enjoy our park and lost his life. That is not an acceptable cost of an antiquated industry operating in the middle of one of the most heavily used public spaces in America.”
The New York City Council Thursday approved 'Romanch’s Law', which will phase out horse-drawn carriages in Central Park by June 1, 2028, while ensuring protections for the workers whose livelihoods have long depended on the industry.
The vote was 40 – 7 with two abstentions. The bill now goes to NYC Mayor Zohran Mamdani for his signature.
The legislation is named after and was passed following the death of 18-year-old Romanch Mahajan, a tourist from India, who died after being thrown from a horse-drawn carriage in Central Park this summer.
Immediately following Mahajan’s death, the City Council held a hearing on the horse carriage industry to examine potential legislative action to wind down the practice, and to receive input from horse-drawn cab owners and operators.
The bill will wind down the industry over the next 19 months and establish a framework for a safe and orderly transition for workers and horses, the City Council said in a statement.
Describing passage of the legislation as history-making, Speaker Julie Menin said the “tragic and preventable” death of Mahajan “underscored the need for urgent action after decades of mounting concerns. From longstanding animal welfare concerns and increasingly extreme heat conditions to historic overcrowding in Central Park, which now welcomes more than 42 million visitors annually, the status quo has become unsustainable and unsafe for horses and people alike.”
The landmark vote to pass Romanch’s Law is a demonstration of the Council’s commitment to animal welfare, public safety, and worker protection, Menin said.
She added that the Council took swift action, hearing hours of testimony from carriage drivers, animal welfare advocates, City officials, and constituents. “The resulting plan establishes a deadline to phase out the industry while ensuring the development of a comprehensive workforce transition that will protect the livelihoods of the hardworking New Yorkers who depend on it.”
‘Romanch’s Law’, sponsored by Council Member Christopher Marte, would wind down the horse-drawn cab industry by prohibiting the issuance of licenses for carriage horses, horse-drawn cabs, and horse-drawn cab drivers on or after June 1, 2028.
Any licenses active as of the effective date of the bill would permanently expire on May 31, 2028, and would no longer be subject to renewal requirements.
Marte said after decades of debate, the persistence of advocates and the “courage of the Mahajan family have helped us reach a point where we can retire these horses safely and help workers build their next chapter.”
Advocacy group Animal Wellness Action applauded the City Council’s vote to phase out the horse-drawn carriage industry, marking a major milestone in the decades-long effort to protect horses from the dangers of working in one of the world’s busiest urban environments.
“This achievement reflects years of dedicated advocacy and the determination of people who refused to give up on a more humane future for New York City,” president of Animal Wellness Action and the Centre for a Humane Economy Wayne Pacelle said.
Earlier this month, NYC Mayor Mamdani and Menin agreed on the legislation that would bring an end to the use of horse-drawn carriages in Central Park.
The legislation was earlier called Ryder's Law, named after a 26-year-old carriage horse that had collapsed in the city in August 2022 while it was being forced to pull a carriage.
Ryder died in October that year and following its death, several animal rights and advocacy groups such as The Animal Legal Defence Fund have been calling for city legislation to ban and replace horse-drawn carriages in New York City.
In the wake of Mahajan’s death, the Central Park Conservancy, entrusted by the City of New York with the complete day-to-day care of the iconic public space, had added that “this is the tragedy we feared when we first called last year for horse carriages to be banned from Central Park due to the risks they pose to public safety and public health. A young man came to enjoy our park and lost his life. That is not an acceptable cost of an antiquated industry operating in the middle of one of the most heavily used public spaces in America.”
