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Central Park’s iconic horse-drawn carriages will now be able to run.
Proposal to ban popular tourist attractions where fixtures have been installed Central Park Failed to clear a key for over 150 years new york City Council Committee on Friday.
The council’s health-related committee voted against sending the proposal to the full council for consideration after a full hearing.
The Transport Workers Union of America, which represents horse carriage workers, praised the panel for standing up for its members.
“They are hard-working immigrants who take good care of their horses, and they are constantly being attacked and vilified by moneyed people who don’t care about animal welfare,” union president John Samuelson said in a statement.
But animal rights advocates, who have long called for an end to the industry, described the vote as a “sham” and vowed to continue their fight.
The debate over the popular tourist draw reignited in the summer when a carriage horse collapsed and died near its stable, with video and photos of the animal’s body on a city street circulating widely online.
Critics say that carriage horses can easily get spooked on city streets, leading to accidents and injuries. They also say the horses are overworked and live in inadequate stables, and their drivers flout city rules, including leaving piles of horse manure.
,horses Recently have collapsed, even been dropped dead on the streets. New Yorkers for Clean, Livable and Safe Streets, or NYCLASS, said in a statement Friday that there have been incidents of several horses running wild, colliding with vehicles, sending New Yorkers to the hospital and nearly trampling others.
mayor of new york city eric adams Said city lawmakers ignored the opinion of the “vast majority of New Yorkers” who want the industry ended. The outgoing Democrat threw his support behind the proposed ban in recent months and issued an executive order to the industry to enforce it,
“It is a shame that the City Council has once again refused to follow the will of our citizens, while also putting pedestrians, drivers and animals at risk,” Adams said in a statement.
The council’s Democratic leadership has long resisted calls to hold a public hearing and vote on the proposal, which calls for the industry to shut down as early as next summer.
Instead Friday’s vote was instigated by the bill’s sponsor, who invoked a procedural rule to force a committee vote.
“This was one of the most undemocratic demonstrations I have ever seen in the New York City Council,” said Council Member Robert Holden, an outgoing queens the Democrat said in a statement after his bid was rejected. “The Council couldn’t care less what New Yorkers think.”
Benjamin Fang-Estrada, a spokesman for City Council President Adrienne Adams, suggested that Holden failed to do the “legislative work of building support” among his colleagues.
“The council recognizes that this is a difficult and emotional issue, and any path forward requires a sponsor to bring all parties together in a constructive manner,” he said in an emailed statement.
The Central Park Conservancy, the influential non-profit that manages the 843-acre (341 ha) park, also came out in support of the industry ban, citing its major impact on public safety and road infrastructure in the increasingly crowded park.
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