New York City is set to phase out its iconic horse-drawn carriages under proposed legislation named after an 18-year-old Indian tourist who died following a carriage accident in Central Park.
Efforts to ban horse-drawn carriages intensified after Romanch Mahajan, an Indian tourist, died from injuries sustained in an accident in Central Park in June. Politico quoted Ms. Menin as saying horse-drawn carriages had long been part of New York City’s history but had become a growing public safety concern in an increasingly busy Central Park. Ryder died in October that year, prompting animal rights and advocacy groups, including the Animal Legal Defence Fund, to step up calls for legislation to ban and replace horse-drawn carriages in the city. Following Mahajan’s death, the Central Park Conservancy, which is entrusted by the city with the day-to-day care of the iconic public space, renewed its call for horse-drawn carriages to be banned from Central Park.
“This is the tragedy we feared when we first called last year for horse carriages to be banned from Central Park due to the risks they pose to public safety and public health,” it had said.
