City Council speaker backs Central Park horse-carriage ban after fatal crash

City Council Speaker Julie Menin will back a ban on horse-drawn carriage rides in Central Park, giving Romanch’s Law its most powerful public endorsement yet after the death of 18-year-old tourist Romanch Mahajan. Menin’s support on July 14 made her the first sitting Council speaker to publicly line up behind the proposal, and the Council planned a hearing on the measure for Wednesday morning.

Mahajan died on June 17 after being thrown from a runaway carriage around 2:47 p.m. near West 71st Street and Center Drive, close to Tavern on the Green. The horse bolted, collided with another carriage, and left passengers unable to stop the ride before the crash. The Central Park Conservancy says Mahajan was the first tourist to die from a horse-carriage incident in at least a century.

The bill would phase out horse-drawn carriage operations in Central Park and create a framework for a safe and orderly transition for workers and horses. Animal-welfare advocates have pressed for an end to the rides, while carriage supporters have warned that a shutdown would threaten livelihoods and the working lives of people who depend on the industry.

A Central Park Conservancy-commissioned poll showed 68% of respondents favored banning the industry. Supporters say the rides should end for the safety of visitors, New Yorkers and horses, especially after another horse died in Central Park about a week before Mahajan’s death.

The Council still needs additional sponsors before the bill can move forward. Backers of the carriage industry continue to argue that any transition plan must include alternative employment opportunities in hospitality and tourism if the city moves to end the rides.