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De Blasio Tells Carriage Horse Ban Backers to Focus on Swaying City Council

By Jeff Mays | August 19, 2015 5:52pm
 Mayor Bill de Blasio said he's on board to fulfill his promise to ban horse carriages but that the City Council is the holdup.
Mayor Bill de Blasio said he's on board to fulfill his promise to ban horse carriages but that the City Council is the holdup.
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DNAinfo/Ben Fractenberg

NEW YORK CITY — Mayor Bill de Blasio said he's on board to fulfill his promise to ban horse carriages — but the City Council is holding him up.

"I believe fundamentally that horse carriages don't belong in New York City," de Blasio said Wednesday on the Brian Lehrer Show on WNYC.

"What I say to advocates is you have my vote," he added. "Go get the votes of the City Council."

During his mayoral campaign, de Blasio promised to rid the city of the horse carriages, which mostly operate as a tourist attraction in an around Central Park, on his first day in office. Council Speaker Melissa Mark-Viverito has also said she supports ridding the city of horse carriages.

But getting the support of the City Council to pass a bill has been difficult.

The Council introduced legislation last year at de Blasio's behest to ban the carriages but it has gone nowhere as more and more supporters drop off.

"The fact is the industry has a lot of support in the City Council," said de Blasio, who advised advocates to "put their energy" there.

Animal rights advocates say that having horses working in the city amounts to cruelty and is a safety hazard. Horse carriage proponents say the industry provides good jobs and that the horses are well taken care of.

Under the proposed legislation, drivers could apply for green taxi medallions, get job retraining or drive electric vehicles that would replace the horse carriages following a request for proposals.

A spokesman for NYCLASS, the animal rights group pushing for the ban, had no immediate comment. The group has gotten several celebrities such as Hip-Hop mogul Russell Simmons to speak in favor of the ban and has run advertising campaigns at the City Hall subway stop.

Representatives from Teamsters Joint Council 16 who represent the drivers also declined comment.

Public support for the horse carriages is strong.

A poll from Quinnipiac University in January showed that 63 percent of city voters were not in favor of the ban versus 25 percent who were.