Mamdani Moves to Ban Beloved American Tradition in New York City

New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani is pushing to end one of the city’s most iconic traditions: horse-drawn carriage rides in Central Park. He reached an agreement with City Council Speaker Julie Menin to ban the beloved pastime beginning in June 2028, pending City Council approval. The focus on horse-drawn carriages comes as concerns grow over illegally issued commercial driver’s licenses putting lives at risk on America’s roads.

‘Political Opportunism’

The historic attraction has faced renewed scrutiny since Romanch Mahajan, 18, suffered fatal injuries when he was thrown from a carriage after a horse was reportedly startled by what may have been stray voltage in the ground, according to the Transport Workers Union (TWU), which represents the city’s horse-drawn carriage industry.

Under the city’s proposed legislation – dubbed Romanch’s Law – officials would be required to come up with a plan to help carriage drivers, owners, and stable workers find new employment, but there would be no guarantee of financial assistance.

“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 wrote on X.

TWU International President John Samuelsen pushed back on claims that horse-drawn carriage rides pose a significant threat to the public: “Council Speaker Menin used the tragic death of a tourist to contrive a public safety crisis. This is disgraceful political opportunism, and Zohran should not simply go along with it, particularly when immigrant families’ livelihoods are being destroyed.”

TWU Local 100 previously recommended raising driver standards, improving training, and adding safety measures in lieu of a ban. Now there’s an idea. Perhaps the city can apply it to illegal truckers, too?

Hold Your Horses, Mamdani

Just four months after Mahajan’s tragic accidental death, Mamdani and city officials are already moving to ban a more than 150-year-old American tradition. Where is that urgency and efficiency when it comes to illegally issued trucking licenses, especially amid a growing number of deadly crashes involving illegal immigrant truckers?

Earlier this year, US Transportation Secretary Sean P. Duffy announced that the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) “is withholding over $73 million from the State of New York for failing to revoke illegally issued non-domiciled commercial learner’s permits (CLPs) and commercial driver’s licenses (CDLs).”

An audit by the FMCSA uncovered widespread problems in New York. Of 200 non-domiciled commercial driver’s licenses reviewed, 107 were issued in violation of federal law, representing a failure rate of more than 53%. Investigators also found that the state’s DMV system automatically issued eight-year, non-REAL ID licenses to foreign drivers “regardless of when their legal status expired.”

Why hasn’t Mayor Mamdani spoken out about this? Granted, he has no control over the state government, but what steps has his administration taken to protect New York City residents from improperly licensed truck drivers?

In 2025, dozens of people were killed in crashes with illegal truck drivers, according to authorities – and that number continues to climb. Just last month, Manjit Singh, an Indian national who illegally entered the US, fatally struck Brenda Watson, a mother of two, in a head-on collision in Ohio. He was driving a semi-truck with a commercial driver’s license he was able to obtain in California after the Biden administration granted his application for a work permit in 2024. Why, then, does banning horse-drawn carriages seem more urgent than addressing concerns about who is legally qualified to operate massive commercial trucks on New York City’s streets? Or is Mamdani waiting for one of those deadly crashes to occur in his city before he speaks up?

The proposed ban might be easier to accept as a public safety move if officials showed the same urgency over illegally licensed truck drivers. Instead, horses get the boot while trucking safety concerns are ignored, giving the impression that the push to ban horse-drawn carriages has less to do with public safety and more to do with erasing another piece of American culture and heritage.