The city council votes are insufficient thus far to ban horse-drawn carriages in Central Park. New York Mayor Bill de Blasio had vowed two days before his election to end that romantic tradition in his first week in office. Twelve weeks later, such a bill has yet to be introduced.

Animal rights activists claim that forcing horses to work in the traffic-clogged streets is cruel. However, a recent poll found that voters opposed the ban by 64% to 24%.

Council members who have expressed their opinions are said to favor the ban by fifteen to eight, with nineteen members yet undecided and nine more members unresponsive. Some of those on the fence express concern over the loss of jobs that the drivers will suffer.

A proposal to transition the carriage drivers into driving electric-powered vintage cars as a replacement for the horse carriages is being considered. [A proposal that most horse lovers, we suspect, will find damn silly.]

Click for more details in the Newsday article by Emily Ngo.

Posted March 28, 2014