Mayor Eric Adams this week came out in support of a law banning horse-drawn carriages in Central Park and said the tourist attraction could be replaced with “electric alternatives.” The issue of carriages resurfaced this summer after a horse collapsed and died in Hell’s Kitchen, prompting outcry from animal advocates and the Central Park Conservancy to endorse prohibiting carriages for the first time. In a statement, Adams pushed for the City Council to pass Ryder’s Law, which phases out horse-drawn carriages by 2026 and said his administration would explore a new program for electric carriages, “so New Yorkers and visitors can continue to enjoy the majesty of Central Park.”
Adams on Wednesday issued an executive order to tighten oversight, plan for the industry’s closure, and help find new jobs. Adams also sent the Council a letter of necessity, allowing members to fast-track the bill by waiving the usual aging period.
The executive order directs the NYPD to immediately prioritize enforcement against horse-drawn carriages that illegally solicit fares or drive in traffic and bike lanes. Meanwhile, the Department of Transportation will review current boarding locations and move them to less-congested areas of the park, according to the New York Post.
Introduced in 2022 by Council Member Robert Holden, Ryder’s Law is named for a horse that collapsed in Hell’s Kitchen and was later euthanized. Following the incident, a poll by the Animal Legal Defense Fund found that 71 percent of New Yorkers supported a ban on horse-carriage rides, as reported by Fox 5.
In August, the Central Park Conservancy took a side in the issue for the first time, supporting Ryder’s Law. The group’s reasoning cited numerous incidents, including one in May when horses broke free from their handlers in Central Park and ran uncontrolled. In one case, a horse injured a pedicab driver, putting the safety of other parkgoers at risk.
That same month, a 15-year-old mare named Lady died from an aortic rupture, likely caused by a small tumor in her adrenal gland, CBS reported. Animal rights groups say Ryder’s Law could help prevent such incidents, but the union representing carriage horse operators called it a “sudden-death medical episode” that “would kill a horse anywhere,” as 6sqft previously reported.
September also marked the third time this year that a carriage horse bolted in Central Park. In the latest incident, a horse named Bambi ran loose with no one at the reins, frightening parkgoers and forcing three carriage passengers to jump from the speeding buggy, according to a press release.
The Conservancy pointed to manure left on drives, carriages illegally lined up near Columbus Circle, and the heavy carriages and steel horseshoes rapidly eroding the park’s newly repaved roads.
In an official statement, Adams acknowledged the historical significance of horse-drawn carriages in NYC but said they no longer fit the needs of the city.
“NYC is a place where history and progress live side by side, but as long as I am mayor, we will always put public safety first,” Adams said. “While horse-drawn carriages have long been an iconic fixture of Central Park, they are increasingly incompatible with the conditions of a modern, heavily-used urban green space.”
He added: “To understand all points of view on this complex issue, our administration convened all stakeholders, from driver representatives to community advocates, and it has become abundantly clear that these horse-drawn carriages no longer work for our city.”
Adams resurrected an idea put forth by former Mayor Bill de Blasio: Replacing the horse-drawn carriages with electric vehicles. Cars have been banned in Central Park since 2018.
The city’s carriage trade includes 68 licensed owners, 183 licensed horses, and 231 licensed drivers, of whom roughly 170 are active, with additional stable hands making up the rest of the workforce, according to the New York Times.
John Samuelson, president of the Transport Workers Union International—which represents carriage drivers—criticized Adams in several posts on X, calling the mayor a “Judas Iscariot” to blue-collar workers who has “sold his soul to Manhattan real estate developers.”
Additionally, City Council Speaker Adrienne Adams suggested the mayor was using the announcement to boost his reelection prospects and called his actions “opportunistic and not helpful.” As of Tuesday, a Marist Poll shows he has just 9 percent support.
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