On Wednesday, November 3rd at 5:30 PM at 53rd -54th St and 7th avenue, a horse-drawn carriage collided with a NYC bus. The bus hit the horse and the rear wheel of the carriage. The horse was very upset, spooky and terrified. The drivers both stopped to exchange information. According to an eye witness,  the driver ignored the horse, not giving him any comfort.  The horse was obviously in distress.   

Horse drawn carriages are not allowed in this area -- between 57th St. and 42nd St - and between 7th and 9th Avenue before 11:30 PM at night. The law is very clear on this -- whether or not there is a passenger. We learned that the bus driver was suspended for not reporting the accident, even though he was there legally. The carriage driver had no right to be there but appears to have gotten away with this unscathed. There may not be any mechanism in place requiring carriage drivers to report an accident to the overseeing agencies. Representatives of the Department of Health have said that they were not aware of the accident.  The Department of Consumer Affairs has not responded.

The Department of Consumer Affairs is one of the agencies charged with regulating the horse-drawn carriage industry, particularly the area restrictions, which were violated.