Philadelphia just made history. The city formally banned horse-drawn carriages — ensuring the industry can never return to its streets. The advocates who fought for that victory said it plainly: "We hope this historic legislation creates a domino effect in other cities, starting with New York."

Boston should not wait for New York. Boston should go next.

Just days ago, a 16-year-old horse named Dennis collapsed and died on the pavement of Central Park in New York City while pulling a tourist carriage. He was not the first. He will not be the last — not as long as cities continue to force horses into congested urban streets filled with traffic, noise, exhaust, and extreme weather.

Horses are prey animals. They spook easily. They are not built for city streets. When they panic, they run — into traffic, into pedestrians, into the tourists riding in the carriages behind them. This is not a matter of tradition. It is a matter of safety and basic decency.

Philadelphia's last carriage company had already stopped operating before the ban passed — advocates pushed for the legislation anyway, to make sure the industry could never come back. Boston has the opportunity to do the same — to get ahead of the next Dennis, the next collapse, the next tragedy on a city street.

We're calling on Boston Mayor Michelle Wu and the Boston City Council to introduce and pass legislation banning horse-drawn carriages in Boston and make the city a leader in humane, modern tourism.