Mayor Bill de Blasio is finally following through on his campaign promise to ban horse-carriages and is set to introduce a bill next week that would eliminate all carriages by 2016. The debate over the carriages has been a strange one, with the Daily News and actor Liam Neeson revealing themselves to be weirdly invested in saving the industry, as its proponents have contended that the city has ulterior motives for the ban. "They really just want our West Side stable for real estate development," one anonymous carriage driver told the Post. The city operates four carriage-horse stables on the West Side, all of which are zoned for commercial and residential buildings, and/or hotels. Two are in the immediate vicinity of Hudson Yards.
As a consolation, the carriage drivers will be offered free green taxi medallions on the condition that they purchase handicap-accessible cabs. The medallions, valued at around $6,000 each, are worth far less than the yellow taxi medallions. "If they offered me a green cab medallion I wouldn't take it," the same anonymous carriage driver told the Post.
· Bill de Blasio to Ban Horse Carriage Industry, Offer Drivers Taxi Medallions: Source [NYO]
· Mayor De Blasio poised to say 'neigh' to horse carriages [NYDN]
· De Blasio to propose horse carriage ban next week [NYP]
· Horse Carriage coverage [Curbed]
Photo by Harris Graber
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