Central Park horse carriages could relocate under revived city plan

The Department of Transportation has proposed new rules that could require horse carriages along Central Park South to operate from designated boarding areas moving forward.

According to WNYC, a draft of the new rules that was recently submitted shows that the city wants to move pickups to five designated areas within the park, near entrances on Fifth Avenue and Central Park West. The move is aimed at improving health and safety of the horses by cutting down the amount of time they spend alongside traffic, while allowing for the same amount of boarding space that currently exists.

Mayor Bill de Blasio had once vowed to scale back the city’s horse carriage industry, however, after opposition from locals and carriage drivers, his efforts were stifled. In 2016, de Blasio made efforts to educe the number of working horses and relocate the stables, however, City Council stalled on voting for the measure.

The Department of Transportation is accepting comments on the new rules and will hold a hearing on the subject on October 3.

• City Proposes That All Horse Carriage Pickups Happen Inside Central Park [WNYC]