Ban on horse-drawn carriages in Central Park a step closer as NYC Mayor Zohran Mamdani and City Council speaker strike deal

New York City is on track to ban horse-drawn carriages, abolishing a tourist attraction with centuries-old roots that has become increasingly fraught politically.

A deal has been struck between Mayor Zohran Mamdani and City Council Speaker Julie Menin, spokespeople for both officials told Newsday on Tuesday.

A bill is to be voted on Oct. 22, said Menin spokesman Jack Lobel. Her support almost certainly assures the passage of the ban.

The push to ban the industry — as long advocated by animal-welfare activists — had bedeviled Mamdani's predecessors yet was stalled for years, opposed by the transport worker labor union as a job-killer. But the push gained steam earlier this year when in June an 18-year-old tourist,  Romanch Mahajan, was killed by a runaway horse in Central Park.

"The tragic and preventable death of 18-year-old Romanch Mahajan made clear that the status quo is no longer acceptable. Horse-drawn carriages have long been part of New York City's history, but in an increasingly busy Central Park, this tradition has become a growing public safety liability," Menin said in a statement issued by her office.

The head of the union, John Samuelsen, was seen earlier this year meeting with Menin's office, following the teen's death. Menin in July announced her support for the ban.

The bill, Introduction 943-A, grants the carriage drivers job training and financial compensation and has provisions for the horses too.

Sneha Choudhary, a Mamdani spokeswoman, said: "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."

Edita Birnkrant, executive director of the group NYCLASS, which has fought through at least the four recent mayoralties to get horses banned, said there was "a huge network of sanctuaries, rescue farms, individuals lined up to compensate the owners and transition the horses to these new homes," if the carriage drivers "would like to take that offer up." 

"I'm happy that people and horses won't be killed on the streets of New York City," she said, describing the status quo as "catastrophes waiting to happen." 

"We can't have huge, powerful prey animals with a flight, drive in the busiest park and city in the country." 

A phone number for a spokeswoman for the drivers, Christina Hansen, did not work, and she didn't respond to email. The union has, in the past, threatened to sue over a ban.

The issue of horse-drawn carriage has played an outsize role in New York City politics. In 2013, NYCLASS poured money into a campaign to topple a front-runner who was against banning the industry, clearing the way for Bill de Blasio to win the race.

By Matthew Chayes

matthew.chayes@newsday.comchayesmatthew

Matthew Chayes, a Newsday reporter since 2007, covers New York City.