Mayor Zohran Mamdani and City Council Speaker Julie Menin reached an agreement that could put an end to one of New York’s most iconic sights: carriage rides through Central Park.
The bill issues no new licenses and sets June 1, 2028, as the deadline for the industry to disappear from the five boroughs. The vote is scheduled for October 22 and, according to Infobae, already has the formal support of 29 of the 51 council members.
The law bears a name: Romanch Mahajan, an 18-year-old Indian tourist who died in June when a horse bolted and threw him from the carriage. Menin said his death showed that the situation was unsustainable, in an increasingly crowded park.
Owners will not be allowed to sell or transfer the horses for slaughter or to another carriage business, and will have to notify the Mayor’s Office of Animal Welfare before getting rid of them.