Metropolis Council to vote on invoice to ban horse carriage rides in NYC – NBC New York

A historic vote will happen within the New York Metropolis Council on Thursday, when lawmakers are anticipated to determine on a invoice that may ban the town’s 150-year-old carriage horse trade.

All indicators level to the carriage horse ban passing, however on Wednesday, the union representing horse drivers issued a letter, promising to problem the invoice’s constitutionality.

Deepak Mahajan, the daddy of Romanch Mahajan, the 18-year-old who was killed whereas on a vacationer journey in Central Park this summer season, stated the vote can be a part of his son’s legacy.

“It was very heartbreaking,” Deepak stated on a video name from India. “We weren’t in a position to save our baby.”

Again in June, 18-year-old Romanch’s lethal fall got here after the carriage horse driver stepped away from the animal to take a household picture. One thing spooked the horse, inflicting it to hurry off and tip the carriage over, inflicting the accident that took Romanch’s life.

Three consecutive mayors have referred to as for an finish to carriage horses in New York Metropolis. After the dying of Romanch, the motion gained new vitality.

The Metropolis Council invoice to ban carriage horses was renamed Romanch’s Legislation, and it seems to have ample help, with greater than half of the Metropolis Council sponsoring the invoice. And but, the Transport Employees Union, which represents horse drivers, continues to combat.

On Wednesday, the TWU distributed a letter, promising to problem the laws in courtroom, as a result of it ensures no compensation for misplaced investments.

“The carriage horse house owners have medallions, very similar to taxi medallions, which they purchased for a lot of 1000’s of {dollars},” attorneys for the union shared in writing. “The pending invoice simply says: ‘Poof, your medallion is now nugatory.'”

Again in India, the Mahajan household says the passing of the invoice can be a small comfort, if New York Metropolis streets had been to grow to be safer because of the invoice named after their son.

“We would like an entire ban on horse-drawn carriages proper in New York Metropolis,” the daddy informed Information 4. “We can’t deliver Romanch again, however we will attempt to guarantee that no different household suffers what we’ve got suffered.”

A part of Romanch Mahajan’s household is anticipated to attend Thursday’s Metropolis Council assembly to witness voting on the carriage horse ban.

If it passes, it could not absolutely take impact till June 2028, when all present licenses to drive carriage horses would expire.