NYC pulls reins on plan for Central Park horse carriages

Mayor Bill de Blasio’s plan to corral the city’s horse-carriages into Central Park is headed to the glue factory, after the union representing the drivers announced today it no longer backed the proposal.

But after a compromise unveiled last month between the mayor and New York Teamsters, the union representing carriage drivers, the bill cuts the number of drivers to 95 from the 220.

“The Teamsters’ first priority is always our members and their livelihoods”, said George Miranda, President of Teamsters Joint Council 16, in a statement. While the Council appeared to have the support needed to pass the bill, Speaker Melissa Mark-Viverito said there would not be a vote on any horse carriage related legislation Friday without the Teamster’s support.

Stabling will be constructed in Central Park to accommodate up to 75 horses, which will allow the horses to be moved from their existing private stables on Manhattan’s West Side.

The deal has been a debacle for de Blasio since he took office.

De Blasio is expected to formally announce the program during his annual “state of the city” address on Thursday.

The compromise bill also drew criticism from some animal welfare groups seeking an outright ban as well as pedicab operators who were not part of the negotiations but who would have been prohibited from working in the park’s tourist-heavy southern sector under the deal. Reducing energy waste in these buildings is also essential to achieving Mayor de Blasio’s ambitious greenhouse gas reduction goals.

The collapse was a political blow to de Blasio and his staff, who seemed eager to finally get the item off the political agenda.

We also find it hard to believe the city will ultimately give the green light to taking a piece of Central Park away for a $25 million stable when that money could (and should) be used for more meaningful purposes. It would mirror the increasing use of such services in New Jersey, especially connecting the growing commuter towns along the Hudson River, an area real estate developers have dubbed the “Gold Coast”. Does anyone at City Hall realize how bad this looks?

PETA declared the horses “prisoners of politics”.

“I love NY, but I’m astonished that the city still allows shackled horses to dodge taxis, buses, and police cars every day”, wrote Gillian. When asked for a comment, a spokesman for Gov. Andrew Cuomo, de Blasio’s frequent rival, responded “neigh”. If you would like to discuss another topic, look for a relevant article.

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