New York City Council votes to ban horse-drawn carriages by June 2028

The vote ends years of political debate over a practice closely associated with Central Park. The measure targets horse-drawn carriages operating both in the park and elsewhere on New York City streets. Reports describe the carriage tradition as more than a century old, although the precise length of its history varies among sources.

The Japan Times reported that the City Council approved the bill by 40 votes to seven. The Japan Times and France 24 reported that the vote took place on Thursday, October 22, 2026. Other reports, including from Tagesschau and France 24, said the change is scheduled to be phased in or take effect by June 2028.

Mayor Zohran Mamdani supported the measure and is expected to sign it into law, according to the supplied reports. The available evidence does not establish that he had already signed it at the time of reporting. The legislation therefore marks a decision by the Council, with its final implementation still described in the sources through the June 2028 timetable.

The vote has also drawn political criticism. Clarín reported that Donald Trump questioned the measure, but the supplied material does not include his exact words or specify the nature of his criticism. The reports otherwise frame the dispute around the future of a long-standing Central Park attraction and the place of horse-drawn carriages on city streets.

The supplied sources confirm the ban and its broad timetable but do not provide the full text of the legislation or detailed phaseout arrangements. They also differ over whether the practice should be described as dating to the 19th century, lasting 150 years or lasting more than 160 years; the consistent point is that the Central Park carriage tradition is more than a century old.