NEW YORK CITY (PIX11) — One of Central Park’s most well-known pastimes could be a thing of the past.
New York City Councilmember Christopher Marte joins PIX11 to discuss how the bill he authored to ban horse-drawn carriages in New York City came together. It’s called Romanch’s Law, memorializing the death of a teenage passenger this past summer.
Animal advocates have called for a ban for decades. Marte says Romanch Mahajan’s death is what really pushed the bill forward, but disagreements over worker protections stalled the proposal.
Horse carriage union leadership says the bill still doesn’t go far enough to help workers transition to new jobs, but Marte says the bill requires the city and industry to come together to formulate transition plans.
Councilmember Marte says the council has also discussed banning the NYPD’s use of horses, but that horse carriages are the current focus. When it comes to the future of the horse stable properties and questions around real estate deals to push the bill forward, Marte says the stables are private property and their future is up to the owners.
Watch the video player for the full interview.
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