New York Decides to Ban One of the City's Landmarks – Central Park Horse Carriages

The New York City Council has decided to ban one of the city's symbols and tourist attractions – the horse-drawn carriages that operate in and around Central Park. Thus, animal rights advocates have won a years-long dispute over the fate of the carriages, but the people – the drivers and horse owners – promise to sue, writes the BBC.

The ban on carriages is not planned immediately, but only from June 1, 2028. The vast majority of city council members voted for this decision on Thursday: 40 against 7. The law still needs to be signed by Mayor Zachran Mamdani.

Caring for the welfare of the horses, the authors of the law included a provision according to which, after completing work on the streets of New York, owners will be prohibited from sending them to slaughter or selling them to similar tourist carriage companies in other cities.

Currently, 68 horse-drawn carriages are licensed to operate in Central Park – their number has been restricted since World War II.

According to Reuters, citing Christina Hansen, head of the Central Park carriage drivers' union, more than 180 horses and about 150 drivers are involved in serving tourists.

The new law includes a promise to draw up a plan to help those who lose their jobs by next April, but drivers and horse and stable owners say the law does not adequately secure their future.

"It offers nothing concrete to the working drivers or carriage owners who will be financially crushed, stripped of their jobs, their licenses, their expensive city medallions [license plate for operation - BBC], their small businesses, their way of life," Reuters quotes John Samuelsen, head of the Transport Workers Union, as saying.

"We'll see them in court," added Alexander Kemp, vice president of the New York branch of the union. "This battle is not over yet."

Disputes surrounding Central Park horse carriages have been ongoing for many years. Supporters of their preservation say they are one of New York's romantic symbols. These carriages, for example, have appeared in numerous films.

US President and New York native Donald Trump also spoke out in defense of the carriages before the vote.

"Horse carriages in New York are quintessentially New York. It's so sad they'll be gone – for political reasons," Trump wrote on his social media.

Proponents of the ban, animal rights advocates, say it's an anachronism and that forcing horses to work hard in heavy street traffic and polluted city air is inhumane and dangerous to their health.

Ashley Byrne, head of People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals, stated regarding the New York City Council vote that it marked the end of "a despicable enterprise that forced horses to pull heavy carriages on traffic-clogged streets, in harsh weather conditions, until they dropped dead."

In 2013, Bill de Blasio, before being elected Mayor of New York, promised that he would ban horse carriages on his first day in office. After becoming mayor, he did try to introduce a ban several times but ultimately failed.

In the last year, several incidents involving these carriages have reignited debates about their fate. Since May 2025, at least seven tourists and drivers have been injured.

In June, a fatal accident also occurred: a horse was spooked and bolted, the carriage overturned, resulting in the death of an 18-year-old Indian tourist who was in it.

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