A coalition of City Council members are attempting to ban horse-drawn carriages in the city and replace them with electronic alternatives.
A bill is being introduced by Queens councilman Robert Holden that — if enacted — would replace horse-drawn carriages with electric ones by June 1, 2024, Holden's office confirmed Wednesday.
Nine other Council members, from Republicans to democratic socialists, have signed onto the bill. They include Joann Ariola (Queens), Eric Bottcher (Manhattan), Tiffany Caban (Queens), Shahana Hanif (Brooklyn), Kristen Richardson Jordan (Manhattan), Rita Joseph (Brooklyn), Christopher Marte (Manhattan), Chi Osse (Brooklyn) and Keith Powers (Manhattan).
An anti-horse carriage group — New Yorkers for a Clean, Livable and Safe Streets (NYCLASS) — said they will rally with Holden and other elected officials Thursday in support of abolishing horse-drawn carriages.
NYCLASS called horse-drawn carriages "cruel" and "unsafe" in a release.
"Please stand with us on July 14th to send a strong message to the media, NYC Council and Mayor that 2022 is the year to end carriage horse abuse and bring NYC into the 21st Century," the group said in the release.
Tony Utano — the president of Transport Workers Union, which represents horse-carriage drivers in the city — disagreed, saying the five boroughs have "the strictest carriage regulations in the country."
"Five city agencies provide oversight and enforcement," Utano said in a statement Wednesday. "Health concerns are investigated by experts."
Ultano added that the horses receive physical examinations by horse veterinarians at least twice a year, regularly get new shoes and hoof training, receive vacations, have clean stalls and get to "spend their days in the 843-acre park."
"It took many years of hard work to get cars out of Central Park. Nobody — except those with a financial interest — wants motorized vehicles to return," Ultano said.
Banning horse-drawn carriages was a longtime campaign promise by Bill de Blasio and he tried several times to ban the Central Park mainstays.
The issue was heavily discussed in the 2013 mayoral race, when de Blasio defeated conservative Joe Lhota, and was addressed by de Blasio many times during his tenure as mayor — like Holden, de Blasio sought to replace horse-drawn carriages with cars.
While de Blasio was unable to ban the carriages, he increased protections for the horses, preventing drivers from picking up passengers on Central Park South and operating in hot weather.