New York City should be a place where both people and animals can move through our streets and parks safely. Horse-drawn carriages no longer meet that standard.

Since May 2025, the Central Park Conservancy has documented nine horse-related incidents in Central Park. On June 9, 2026, a carriage horse collapsed and died while carrying tourists. Just eight days later, a horse pulling passengers became spooked and bolted, overturning the carriage. The 18-year-old passenger thrown from it, Romanch Mahajan, died from his injuries. On August 29, another carriage horse collapsed.

These are not abstract concerns. Horses can become frightened or suffer medical emergencies, and when that happens while they are pulling carriages through one of the busiest parks in America, horses, passengers, drivers, pedestrians, cyclists and motorists can all be put at risk. The Central Park Conservancy has concluded that horse carriages are no longer compatible with an increasingly crowded Central Park.

And the suffering doesn't begin when a carriage overturns.

Imagine being a horse expected to spend hours working on hard city pavement, surrounded by traffic, noise, crowds, and exhaust. Imagine being asked to pull passengers through extreme summer heat or stand outside in freezing winter weather waiting for the next fare. These animals cannot choose when they work, when they stop, or whether they want to carry another load of passengers.

A horse should not have to collapse in the street, or die, before we decide that this tradition has no place in our city, and New York City already has a path forward.

Romanch's Law — Intro. 943-2026 — would phase out the horse-drawn carriage industry. It would stop the issuance of new carriage licenses and prohibit horse-drawn cab operations beginning June 1, 2028. The legislation also provides protections for the humane disposition of carriage horses and establishes a workforce-development program to help carriage drivers and other workers transition into new employment.

The bill has already received significant support in the City Council. At its July hearing, it gained enough co-sponsors to reach majority support among the Council's 51 members, and Council Speaker Julie Menin became the first sitting Speaker in the city's history to publicly support a carriage ban. Council Member Lynn C. Schulman, Chair of the Committee on Health, is also among the bill's supporters.

Now, it needs to move forward to a vote.

New York does not have to choose between protecting horses and protecting workers. We can responsibly transition this industry while making Central Park safer for everyone. And one more horse suffering in our streets is one more than we should accept.

New York City can do better.

Mayor Zohran Kwame Mamdani, Council Speaker Julie Menin, and Council Member Lynn C. Schulman: we are asking you to help lead the way toward a safer, more humane New York City.

Sign this petition and demand that the New York City Council pass Romanch's Law and end horse-drawn carriages in New York City.