NYC Council Weighs 2028 Horse-Carriage Ban After 18-Year-Old Tourist's Death
Updated
Updated · WABC-TV · Jul 14
NYC Council Weighs 2028 Horse-Carriage Ban After 18-Year-Old Tourist's Death
3 articles · Updated · WABC-TV · Jul 14
Summary
Wednesday's hearing will take up "Romanch's Law," a bill to phase out New York City's horse-drawn carriage industry after 18-year-old Romanch Mahajan was killed in a June 17 Central Park crash.
Julie Menin, the City Council speaker, said she will support the measure, though it still needs as many as five more council members to sign on.
Mayor Zohran Mamdani backed ending the industry but said full support depends on stronger worker protections for carriage owners and drivers during the transition.
The fight has intensified after two recent deaths — Mahajan's and a horse that ate a poisonous plant — adding to scrutiny that followed Ryder's 2022 collapse and death.
Opponents say the city's 68 capped carriage medallions support small businesses and favor a reform-and-study alternative introduced the same day as the ban bill.