Romanch's Law to end Central Park horse carriages by June 2028

New York City leaders agreed to phase out Central Park's horse-drawn carriages by June 2028. The proposed law honours Romanch Mahajan while protecting workers and improving public safety.Stock photo used for illustrationNewyork,Oct 14, 2026 22:58 ISTNew York City is set to phase out its horse-drawn carriages under proposed legislation named after Romanch Mahajan, an 18-year-old Indian tourist who died after a carriage accident in Central Park.Mayor Zohran Mamdani and City Council Speaker Julie Menin have agreed on a bill that would end the use of horse-drawn carriages in the park by June 2028 while protecting workers whose livelihoods depend on the industry.“The horse carriage industry is coming to an end in New York City. Our administration will make sure workers and owners are protected, and the horses are safe,” Mamdani said in a post on X.Efforts to ban the carriages intensified after Mahajan died from injuries suffered in the June accident. He had jumped from the carriage to help his mother after she fell out when the horse bolted. He later died from his injuries. The bill was renamed “Romanch's Law” in his honour. It is expected to be put to a vote in the 51-member City Council next week. Menin said she believed it would pass with enough support to override a veto, The New York Times reported.Menin told Politico that horse-drawn carriages had long been part of New York City's history but had become a growing public safety concern in an increasingly busy Central Park. “Next week, the Council will take decisive action by voting on this bill to protect New Yorkers, visitors, and the horses themselves,” she said.The legislation was earlier called “Ryder's Law”, after a 26-year-old carriage horse that collapsed while pulling a carriage in New York City in August 2022. Ryder died in October that year, prompting animal rights and advocacy groups, including the Animal Legal Defence Fund, to intensify calls to ban and replace horse-drawn carriages in the city.After Mahajan's death, the Central Park Conservancy, which is responsible for the day-to-day care of the public space, renewed its call for horse-drawn carriages to be banned from the park.“This is the tragedy we feared when we first called last year for horse carriages to be banned from Central Park due to the risks they pose to public safety and public health,” it said. “A young man came to enjoy our park and lost his life. That is not an acceptable cost of an antiquated industry operating in the middle of one of the most heavily used public spaces in America.”The proposed law, which is due for a City Council vote next week, would end horse-drawn carriage operations in Central Park by June 2028, provide protections for affected workers and honour Mahajan.With PTI Inputs- Ends