A tradition more than a century old in New York is ending.
The New York City Council on Oct. 22 voted to ban horse-drawn carriages, winding down a historic tradition that's popular among tourists and fiercely opposed by animal rights groups.
In a majority vote, the 51-member council approved a ban prohibiting new carriage licenses and the ending the operation of horse carriages by June 2028.
New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani supports the bill and is expected to sign it into law. In early October, he declared that the horse carriage industry is "coming to an end in New York City."
The city's horse carriages have traversed a loop in Central Park dating back to the 1800s. By the mid-20th century, the city limited horse-drawn carriage licenses to 68.
Over the decades, the carriages became a tourism staple and appeared in iconic films and television shows, such as "Sex and the City," "Elf" and "Home Alone 2: Lost in New York."
But in recent years, animal rights groups and others have increasingly called for the end to the tradition, arguing that the practice subjects horses to harsh unnatural conditions and physical exhaustion.
Opposition mounted this summer after the death of 18-year-old Romanch Mahajan, an Indian tourist killed in June after being thrown from a horse carriage. The legislation phasing out the longstanding tradition is named after Mahajan.
The same month, a horse named Deniz had collapsed suddenly in Central Park while pulling a carriage with passengers, setting off another wave of backlash against the horse-carriage industry.
President Donald Trump, who is from New York, called horse carriages a "great tradition" and said they "will be missed."
"The Horse-drawn Carriage in New York City is a quintessential New York experience. So sad that, for political reasons, we will see it go!" he said in a post on Truth Social.
Some who oppose the legislation say it does not adequately protect workers who rely on the carriages for their income. Officials say there are about 150 horse-carriage drivers currently working in the city.
"If the NYC Council bans horse-carriage rides, hundreds of blue-collar drivers, owners, and their family members will be financially ruined and emotionally devastated," the Transport Workers Union of America said in a statement on X.
Joann Ariola, a councilmember representing a portion of Queens, removed her name as a sponsor for the ban the day before the city council approved it, writing in a statement that carriage drivers deserve "a clear path forward before their ability to earn a living is taken away."
The bill requires the mayor’s office to develop a transition plan by April 2027 and to consider a program to compensate carriage operators for their businesses and help with the disposition of their horses. Under the proposal, the horses could not be slaughtered.
City Hall has promised that it is working toward a transition to help protect carriage workers.
"We have been working closely with the City Council, union partners, carriage drivers, animal welfare advocates, and community leaders to deliver a just transition that protects workers while ending horse-drawn carriages in Central Park once and for all," City Hall spokesperson Sneha Choudhary previously told USA TODAY.
New York City is the latest major metropolitan area that’s voted to ban horse-drawn carriages. Over the last five years, cities including Philadelphia, Chicago and San Antonio have outlawed the practice.
Contributing: Reuters
Christopher Cann is a national reporter for USA TODAY. Reach him by email at ccann@usatoday.com.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: A 160-year-old New York tradition is headed for extinction
