Mayor Adams calls to ban carriage horses in NYC, replace them with electric cars

Mayor Eric Adams on Wednesday called to ban carriage horses from New York City, marking the latest turn in a decadeslong effort by animal rights activists to put an end to the Central Park tourist attraction.

Adams called for the City Council to pass legislation mandating the ban, and signed an executive order mandating city agencies to prepare for the demise of the horse-drawn carriages. The order also directs the NYPD to crack down on carriage horse operators who go outside of designated areas. Adams wrote that the city should look into alternatives like “electric carriages” to give tourists rides in Central Park.

The directive cited multiple recent incidents of carriage horses breaking free and running off in the park, as well as several incidents in recent years where carriage horses collapsed and died on city streets.

“While many talk about change, our administration has always been about real, meaningful action — and this issue is no different,” Adams said in a statement. “That’s why today, I’m calling on the City Council to do what they should have done long ago: End the horse carriage industry in New York City and help keep all New Yorkers — including our animals — safe.”

The animal rights group NYCLASS has long called for a carriage horse ban, turning a seemingly low-stakes issue into a major political fight. The group backed former Mayor Bill de Blasio’s winning 2013 campaign. During his final months in office in 2021, de Blasio also called for a ban on carriage horses. Like Adams, he also called for them to be replaced with electric vehicles.

De Blasio’s proposal, which the City Council never acted on, drew the ire of street safety advocates, who said electric carriages would effectively allow cars to return to Central Park for the first time since they were banned in 2018.

Adams’ announcement on Wednesday came a month after the Central Park Conservancy called for banning horses from the park for the first time.

“Runaway horses, terrifying crashes, human injuries and near-human fatalities along with repeated collapses and deaths of horses on our streets prove this cruel outdated industry cannot continue,” NYCLASS Executive Director Edita Birnkrant said. “The momentum is building to such a degree that this cannot stall any longer.”

Adams’ move also represents a break with Transport Workers Union Local 100, which represents the carriage horse drivers and endorsed him during his 2021 campaign.

“He’s betraying the Transport Workers Union and we’re not going to forget it,” TWU International President John Samuelsen said. “The overwhelming majority of New Yorkers want the horse and carriage industry. The horse and carriage industry is a quintessential part of New York City, of the ambience of New York City. The horses are not mistreated.”