On Thursday, the New York City Council voted 40-7 to pass Romanch's Law, which would end the city's horse-carriage industry by June 1, 2028. Two members abstained. That's a veto-proof margin. The bill now goes to Mayor Zohran Mamdani, who backed it. It's named for Romanch Mahajan, an 18-year-old tourist from India who died this summer after a runaway-carriage accident in Central Park. Carriages have carried riders in the city since 1858, and the Council first tried to ban them in 2007. The law tells the city to write a job plan for drivers by April 2027. It says the city should "consider" paying owners, but it doesn't require it. Owners can keep their horses, but they can't sell them for slaughter or to another carriage business.

Central Park Isn't Safe With Carriages (Julie Menin, Betsy Smith)

The Council speaker says one death was enough, and the park's managers say everyone deserves to feel safe there.

The speaker says the rides had to end. Council Speaker Julie Menin called Mahajan's death "one death too many" at a news conference before the vote. "They don't belong in an area that attracts 42 million people a year, pulling a 1,000-pound carriage in record heat," she said.

City leaders tried for 19 years. Menin said that "for 19 years, mayors and speakers alike have tried to convert this idea into reality," and she called Mahajan's death "a turning point." The Council says she's the first sitting speaker to back a ban.

The park's managers back the ban too. The Central Park Conservancy runs the park for the city. Its president and CEO, Betsy Smith, thanked the Council for "putting public safety first." She said "everyone deserves to feel safe" in the park.

And the Rides Are Cruel to the Horses (Christopher Marte, Edita Birnkrant, Matt Bershadker)

Animal-welfare groups say the trade was cruel and promise the horses a safe retirement.

Supporters call the rides animal cruelty. Council Member Christopher Marte, the bill's sponsor, said on the floor that the city can keep Central Park a destination "without relying on legalized animal cruelty." Matt Bershadker, president and CEO of the ASPCA, said the risks of carriage horses "are inherent."

The groups promise the horses a safe home. Edita Birnkrant, executive director of NYCLASS, said her group will work with the city so the horses "retire to safe, loving rescue farms." PETA says it's putting up $50,000 to help the horses retire. Animal Wellness Action has pledged to help place horses whose owners give them up.

But the Union Says It's Unconstitutional and Will Sue (Alexander Kemp, Arthur Schwartz, John Samuelsen)

The drivers' union says the city is wiping out licensed businesses without paying for them.

The union plans to sue. "We will see them in court," Alexander Kemp, administrative vice president of TWU Local 100, said after the vote. He called the bill "blatantly unconstitutional, providing nothing but a plan to draft a plan." The union has said it will sue "the minute the ink dries."

The union calls the ban an illegal taking. The union's lawyers, Arthur Schwartz and former Council Member Ben Kallos, argue the law takes owners' property without "just compensation." They say that violates the federal and state constitutions. Schwartz said the city is taking the licenses of 200 drivers with "no compensation at all, zero."

The union says "consider" isn't a promise. "There's no guarantees, there are supposals," John Samuelsen, president of the Transport Workers Union International, told City & State before the vote. Christina Hansen, a longtime driver and industry spokesperson, asked the AP, "Who's going to pay my rent while I'm looking for a job?" ABC7 reported that she said the industry is "not done yet."

At Least Give the Drivers More Time (James Gennaro)

A Queens council member says drivers need until 2030 to rebuild their lives.

Fourteen months isn't enough time to start over. Council Member James Gennaro, a Queens Democrat, tried to amend the bill on Thursday to push the end date from June 2028 to 2030. He said the bill leaves workers only about 14 months to find other jobs. "What I'm asking for is, give them another 18 months to figure out their lives," he said. Five other members backed him, most of them Republicans. The motion still failed.

He'd rather fix the rides than end them. In June, Gennaro wrote a rival bill that would keep the carriages running under new welfare rules. He voted against the ban on Thursday.

Still Others Say a Great Tradition Is Lost to Politics (Donald Trump)

The president says the city is ending a beloved tradition over one accident.

One accident shouldn't end more than a century of rides. President Donald Trump weighed in on Truth Social on Thursday. "So sad to see the beloved Central Park Horse-drawn Carriage Industry ending after over a Century, based largely on one tragic accident," he wrote. He called the rides "a Great Tradition."

He blames politics. In a second post, Trump called the carriage "a quintessential New York experience." He added, "So sad that, for political reasons, we will see it go!" Trump Tower sits near the park, and Trump used to live in the city.

Where This Lands

Menin says one death was enough, and the Conservancy says everyone deserves to feel safe in the park. The animal groups say the horses can retire to farms. The union says the city is taking licensed businesses without paying for them, and it plans to sue. Gennaro lost his bid to give drivers until 2030. Trump calls the ban a political end to a great tradition. Mamdani backed the bill, and it's on his desk now. If he vetoed it, the Council has the votes to override him.

Sources