New York City Council expected to vote on Central Park carriage ban by 2028
New York City Council is expected to vote on a bill banning horse-drawn carriages in Central Park from June 2028, with a transition plan for workers and horses.
The Full Story
A plain summary built from the channels that reported this story.
New York City Council was expected to vote later on a bill that would ban horse-drawn carriages in Central Park from June 1, 2028. The measure, known as Romash's Law, is sponsored by Council member Christopher Marte, who represents District 1 in Lower Manhattan. It is backed by Mayor Zohran Mamdani, who has said he will help develop a transition plan for workers in the industry.
Speaking before the vote, Marte said the carriage trade belongs to a different era. He argued that Central Park is now used for concerts, running, cycling and e-bikes, and that carriages add unsafe conditions for horses and people. He cited the death of a teenager this summer when a carriage tipped over, saying the bill is named after him. He also cited repeated incidents, including horses collapsing in Times Square, a driver taken away on a stretcher after a carriage flipped, and a horse dying in Central Park.
Drivers and their union oppose the ban. The coverage said they argue it would destroy livelihoods, that the industry is already regulated, and that stronger safety rules would be better than a full ban. Several drivers have said they did not want new jobs and disputed claims that their horses are mistreated.
Under the bill, horses could not be sold to a slaughterhouse or to another horse carriage business. Marte said the city has been working with about a dozen nearby sanctuaries willing to take the horses and provide medical care. He said the 2028 start date allows a year and a half transition so workers can move to second careers with financial support from the city and horses can move to rural settings.
The vote was still ahead when the interview took place. No result was reported in the coverage.
On screen
Stills are sampled automatically at 60-second intervals. Where shown, the still is the nearest available frame from the relevant broadcast segment and is included to show what was on screen during that part of the broadcast. A still may not correspond to the exact second of a quoted phrase.
Key Claims
Claims reported during this story's coverage, grouped by how many channels reported each one. Select a dot to see the source excerpt.
| Claim |  |
|---|---|
| Only on one channel | |
| At the time of the interview, the New York City Council vote was due in about two hours. | |
| Christopher Marte was the prime sponsor of Romash's Law, which would ban horse carriages in Central Park. | |
| The official ban would not take effect until June 1, 2028. | |
Channel Perspectives
What each channel focused on, with key quotes.
BBC News carried a live interview with Council member Christopher Marte, the bill's prime sponsor, ahead of the vote. It focused on safety incidents, animal welfare and the transition for workers and horses, and it noted drivers' objections without including a driver or union voice. It gave no vote result because the vote had not yet taken place.
- “I'm the prime sponsor of what's called Romash's Law, which would ban horse carriages in Central Park.”
- “This past summer, we lost the life of a teenager who was trying to view our beautiful park in a horse carriage and when it tipped over, he lost his life.”
- “the official ban doesn't take place until June 1st, 2028.”
Broadcast Timeline
News broadcasts tracked for this story, in time order.