NEW YORK (PIX11) — The 168-year tradition of having horse-drawn carriages in Central Park was questioned heavily, and even seemed to be in doubt, at a City Council hearing that lasted most of the day on Wednesday.
It was an emotional event steeped in controversy, and among people who filled the City Council chamber was at least one A-list celebrity, who testified against the carriage industry.
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By the end of the business day, after a full day of hearing testimony, more than half of the council — 26 members and counting — had signed on to a bill to ban carriages from the park.
The testimony began with relatives of Romanch Mahajan, the 18-year-old tourist from India who died after being thrown from a horse-drawn carriage in Central Park last month, after the horse suddenly bolted.
Mahajan’s aunt, Sobia Thukral, broke down in tears at the witness table as she urged councilmembers to “remember his name.” The bill that the council is considering, which would ban carriage horses, has been named “Romanch’s Law” in his memory.
Dozens of opponents of carriage horses filled the steps of City Hall for a rally before the hearing on Wednesday morning. It was led by City Council Speaker Julie Menin, who’s publicly stated her opposition to horse-drawn carriages.
Yards away, at the City Hall gate, proponents of the Central Park carriages held a separate, but noticeably smaller, rally.
Pete Donohue was among the supporters of carriage owners and operators. He works for the Transport Workers Union, of which carriage horse operators are members.
“This is how they make a living.” Donohue said. “This bill would eliminate all of that.”
At the hearing, most of the speakers, as well as most of the councilmembers in attendance, appeared to favor an end to the carriage horse tradition. Romanche Mahajan’s aunt said that she and her husband, who live on Long Island, had come to advocate for their nephew and the rest of their family, who had been visiting New York from India when Romanch was killed.
“That’s why I’m here,” said Thukral, Romanch’s aunt, “to give him justice.”
Also among the long list of people on hand to testify in support of banning horse-drawn carriages was Emmy Award-winning actress Edie Falco, who’s also an advocate for animal rights.
“These animals are not ours,” she said from the witness table, facing councilmembers. “They were not put on this earth to do our bidding.”
The bill, introduced by Councilmember Christopher Marte, would phase out, or sunset, the horse-drawn carriage industry by 2028. It also contains language that guarantees that the horses would be retired humanely, and it includes provisions for carriage workers to transition to other industries.
In contrast, carriage owners and drivers who were at the hearing said that while they mourn Mahajan’s death, they felt that the hearing was overdone, and biased against them.
Christina Hansen is a carriage driver and representative of the TWU.
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“Why weren’t we here about banning tourist helicopters after six passengers died,” she asked, referring to a 2025 incident, and continued by referencing another instance from last year. “Or banning pedicabs when a driver died. Those are good questions,” she said.
Councilmember Marte, the sponsor of Romanch’s Law, has also called for a tourist helicopter ban.
As for the Romanch’s Law bill, no vote date has been set, but Marte’s staff said that he’s optimistic that with support from Speaker Menin, a vote and passage is just a matter of time.
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