{"id":2404,"date":"2026-06-18T23:37:09","date_gmt":"2026-06-18T23:37:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/metrotransitreview.com\/?p=2404"},"modified":"2026-06-18T23:37:09","modified_gmt":"2026-06-18T23:37:09","slug":"nyc-horse-carriage-ban-gains-traction-following-tragic-death-of-teen-tourist","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/metrotransitreview.com\/?p=2404","title":{"rendered":"NYC horse carriage ban gains traction following tragic death of teen tourist"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n

A horse carriage ban is gaining steam in the City Council following the freak accident that caused the death of an 18-year-old Indian tourist in Central Park this week.<\/p>\n

Read more Teen tourist who was thrown to his death from Central Park horse was desperately trying to save mom\u2019s life<\/a><\/p>\n

Some Council members said the tragedy \u2014 believed to be the first time in recent memory that a passenger was killed while riding in a horse carriage \u2014 might be the proverbial final straw for the beleaguered industry.<\/p>\n

\u201cIs it the straw that broke the camel\u2019s back? I think so,\u201d said Councilman Frank Morano, a Staten Island Republican and co-sponsor of \u201cRyder\u2019s Law,\u201d which would outlaw horse carriages in New York City.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe have an 18-year-old boy who came here to celebrate his graduation who is leaving in a coffin. It\u2019s totally unacceptable,\u201d Morano told The Post on Thursday.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe time for treating these accidents as isolated incidents is over,\u201d he said. \u201cIt is an industry that no longer makes sense.\u201d<\/p>\n

Mayor Zohran Mamdani has said he supports outlawing carriage rides in Central Park, a pledge he made on the campaign trail.<\/p>\n

\u201cI support removing horse carriages from Central Park,\u201d Mamdani said in January. <\/p>\n

Mamdani\u2019s predecessors Eric Adams and Bill de Blasio also supported a horse carriage ban, though it never came to pass during their tenures.<\/p>\n

Opponents \u2014 including the union representing carriage drivers \u2014 said they\u2019ve heard the clamor in years past following accidents or deaths involving carriage horses, only to see legislation stall when controversy subsided because the record shows the animals are well treated.<\/p>\n

But the new Council has expressed more of an interest in animal rights, recently creating an animal welfare caucus that includes 20 of the legislative body\u2019s 51 members, including Morano.<\/p>\n

Council Speaker Julie Menin has ordered a hearing next month on Morano\u2019s bill, named after Ryder, a Central Park carriage horse who tragically collapsed while working on a hot August day in 2022. The bill stalled in committee last year.<\/p>\n

Read more Mamdani soaks up spotlight with droning, nearly 10-minute speech at Knicks NYC ceremony<\/a><\/p>\n

\u201cIn the past two weeks alone, we have seen the tragic deaths of both a horse and now a teenage carriage passenger, Romanch Mahajan,\u201d Menin said, referring to the June 9 incident in which a carriage horse named Deniz collapsed and died in Central Park, likely from consuming a toxic plant.<\/p>\n

\u201cThese incidents demonstrate that it\u2019s time to chart a better path forward that addresses animal welfare and public safety, and also ensures the livelihood and economic prosperity of the workers,\u201d Menin said.<\/p>\n

Councilwoman Kamillah Hanks, a Staten Island Democrat, said, \u201cSomething has to change. This tragedy is a call for the City Council to respond. We have to take an honest and sobering look at the horse carriage industry.\u201d<\/p>\n

But Queens Democratic Councilman James Gennaro argued the \u201cunthinkable tragedy\u201d was caused by \u201chuman error,\u201d which had nothing to do with animal abuse.<\/p>\n

He said he opposes an outright ban, and instead is proposing alternative legislation to tighten safety standards, including installing hitching posts in Central Park where horses can be secured when passengers get into or out of the carriages or want to take pictures, as well as more rigorous training for drivers.<\/p>\n

\n<\/div>\n

But the carriage horse industry is clearly on the defensive.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019re absolutely gutted and stunned by this tragedy. We\u2019ve never had a fatal accident like this before,\u201d said Alexander Kemp, administrative vice president with Local 100 of the Transport Workers Union which advocates for carriage riders.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe have shuttered the stables and ceased operations today while we have extensive internal discussions of safety protocols and how they can be improved,\u201d said Kemp, who supports Gennaro\u2019s bill, not an outright ban on the carriage industry.<\/p>\n

Carriage driver Christina Hansen, a TWU shop steward, accused animal rights activists of \u201cexploiting\u201d and \u201cpoliticizing\u201d a horrible tragedy, as they have in the past.<\/p>\n

Read more Jalen Brunson lifts Larry O\u2019Brien trophy alongside wife, daughter at Knicks parade<\/a><\/p>\n

\u201cLet\u2019s take a step back and not to rush judgment,\u201d she said. <\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Legislation to ban horse carriages is gaining bipartisan momentum in the New York City Council following the freak accident that caused the death of a teen Indian tourist thrown from his horse in Central Park.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":2403,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2404","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-metro"],"yoast_head":"\nNYC horse carriage ban gains traction following tragic death of teen tourist - Metro Transit Review<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/metrotransitreview.com\/?p=2404\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"NYC horse carriage ban gains traction following tragic death of teen tourist - 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