New York votes to ban Central Park horse carriages after decades of debate

NEW YORK: New York's City Council on Thursday voted to ban horse-drawn carriages in Central Park, signalling the end of a tourist ritual that has been the subject of heated debate for years.

Mayor Zohran Mamdani, who must sign the measure into law, had previously voiced support for such a ban but has also expressed concerns about protections for workers in the industry.

If the mayor signs it, the ban will take effect in June 2028.

The lead-up period is intended to help the approximately 150 active carriage drivers find new employment, City Council Speaker Julie Menin told journalists ahead of the vote.

The Transport Workers Union, which represents the workers, has vowed to take legal action.

Legislative battles over the fate of the cultural tradition, which is nearly as old as Central Park itself, have been ongoing for nearly two decades.

Critics say the animals suffer, pointing to deadly collapses and dangerous escapes, while advocates highlight the jobs they create and the heritage they uphold.

The bill includes a provision to explore potential compensation for licence holders, Menin said.

It mandates that owners of the nearly 200 horses would not be allowed to sell them for slaughter or to other horse-carriage businesses.

The rides — featured in film and television, including a scene with Robert Redford and Jane Fonda in "Barefoot in the Park" and a dramatic ride in "Sex and the City" — currently cost US$150 for 45 minutes, rising to several hundred dollars for a marriage proposal.

But after years of wrangling over the issue, the summer season proved decisive in sounding the death knell for the Manhattan carriages.

In June, an 18-year-old tourist from India was killed by a horse that broke loose and bolted.

That followed a series of other incidents involving the carriages, including the deaths of several horses.

The Central Park Conservancy, which manages the US's most frequented urban park, with 42 million annual visits, also threw its weight behind calls for a ban, saying it had become "a matter of public health and safety".