New York City set to end horse-drawn carriages under law named after Indian tourist

New York City is set to phase out its iconic horse-drawn carriages under proposed legislation named after an 18-year-old Indian tourist who died following a carriage accident in Central Park.

“The horse carriage industry is coming to an end in New York City. Our administration will make sure workers and owners are protected, and the horses are safe,” New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani said in a post on X.

Mr. Mamdani and New York City Council Speaker Julie Menin have agreed on legislation that would end the use of horse-drawn carriages in Central Park, The New York Times (NYT) reported.

Efforts to ban horse-drawn carriages intensified after Romanch Mahajan, an Indian tourist, died from injuries sustained in an accident in Central Park in June.

Mahajan had jumped from the carriage in an attempt to help his mother after she fell out when the horse bolted. He later succumbed to his injuries.

The bill, renamed “Romanch’s Law” in his honour, seeks to phase out the carriages by June 2028 while providing protections for workers whose livelihoods depend on the industry.

The legislation is expected to be voted on by the City Council next week. Ms. Menin said she believed it would pass the 51-member Council with a veto-proof majority, according to the NYT report.

Politico quoted Ms. Menin as saying horse-drawn carriages had long been part of New York City’s history but had become a growing public safety concern in an increasingly busy Central Park.

“Next week, the Council will take decisive action by voting on [this bill] to protect New Yorkers, visitors, and the horses themselves,” she said.

The legislation was earlier known as Ryder’s Law, named after a 26-year-old carriage horse that collapsed in New York City in August 2022 while pulling a carriage.

Ryder died in October that year, prompting animal rights and advocacy groups, including the Animal Legal Defence Fund, to step up calls for legislation to ban and replace horse-drawn carriages in the city.

Following Mahajan’s death, the Central Park Conservancy, which is entrusted by the city with the day-to-day care of the iconic public space, renewed its call for horse-drawn carriages to be banned from Central Park.

“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,” it had said.

“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 Conservancy had said.