Legislation to ban horse carriages nears majority support

Legislation to ban horse carriages in New York City is gaining speed ahead of a pivotal City Council hearing next week. Democrat Oswald Feliz has signed on as a cosponsor, becoming the latest member to say “neigh” to the controversial industry, and Rita Joseph is poised to follow, according to a City Council source. Council Member Lynn Schulman, chair of the health committee that will hear the bill, and Majority Whip Kamillah Hanks also joined as sponsors on Friday.   

Joseph did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Her support would bring the bill to 22 co-sponsors, nearing the 26 votes needed to pass the legislation. Even more council members are expected to follow their lead, especially once the Committee on Health holds a hearing on the bill Wednesday. City Council Member Linda Lee, chair of the powerful finance committee, is also likely to join supporters as a co-sponsor, but is holding off until after the hearing to make a final decision, another council source said. 

The bill, formerly known as Ryder’s Law, was renamed to honor 18-year-old Romanch Mahajan, who was killed falling out of an out-of-control horse carriage in Central Park last month. Support has grown significantly in the wake of Mahajan’s death, building on momentum spurred by the death of a carriage horse a week prior. Efforts to ban the industry have stagnated for years due to fierce opposition by Transport Workers Union Local 100, which represents the industry (even though the drivers are not actually unionized). 

City Council Speaker Julie Menin has yet to take an official position, but her decision to call for the upcoming hearing bodes well for supporters – and so does Majority Leader Shaun Abreu joining as a sponsor of the bill. The fact that there are several members of her leadership team who have pledged their support is likely an indication of where Menin herself stands as they wouldn’t join without her blessing. Further bolstering the case against horse-drawn carriages, a recent poll commissioned by the Central Park Conservancy found that 68% of respondents support banning the industry.

Schulman in particular is a notable addition to supporters’ ranks. She’s chair of the Committee on Health, which is where the bill will be heard. More importantly, with her support, that makes five of the nine committee members co-sponsors – a majority, and a marked difference from last year when the legislation died in committee. 

“We’re cautiously optimistic. We’ll see how the hearing goes,” Council Member Chris Marte, who sponsors the bill, said. “It’s still going to be a hard battle,” he added. “I don’t think the opposition is going to lighten up just because things are going our way.” 

Sure enough, TWU will start running a $75,000 ad-buy on NY1 this weekend calling out Abreu for featuring his goddaughter in the video he released declaring his support for the legislation. “(TWU is) furious that he’s grandstanding and thinks it’s heinous he used his goddaughter … knowing there’s fanatics on different sides of this issue,” TWU International President John Samuelsen told City & State.

NYCLASS, a group that’s long fought to ban horse carriages in New York City, in turn plans to answer with its own six-figure ad buy some time in the next couple of days, according to NYCLASS Co-Founder and President Steve Nislick. The ad will feature the same video of Abreu and his goddaughter that rattled TWU.