Horse carriage drivers, industry representatives, and advocates lined up at City Hall on Wednesday to make a last-ditch effort to sway Mayor Zohran Mamdani away from signing Romanch’s Law — pleading with Hizzoner to veto the City Council legislation that would ban hansom cabs in Central Park.
The speakers — during a public hearing Mamdani held in City Hall’s Blue Room on Nov. 4 — argued that the legislation would destroy their livelihoods by eliminating their jobs as well as taking away the horses, carriages, and medallions into which they invested many thousands of dollars. Furthermore, they contended that the bill overwhelmingly passed the City Council last month based on falsehoods that carriage horses are mistreated and are a threat to public safety.
