Bulldogcakes
12-09-2007, 06:55 AM
NYC to Consider Horse-Drawn Carriage Ban (http://apnews.myway.com/article/20071208/D8TD8SEO0.html)
NEW YORK (AP) - The horse-drawn carriages that clip clop around Central Park could be banned under City Council legislation to be introduced at the urging of animal advocates who say the horses are treated inhumanely.
Councilman Tony Avella, who plans to introduce the bill next Wednesday, said the horses that have entertained tourists and New Yorkers for decades are exposed to cruel conditions and are at risk of injury or death as they weave through city traffic.
In September, a horse died after it was spooked by street musicians with drums and bolted down Central Park South. It was the second such incident in less than two years.
"This situation is only getting worse - the animals are not being treated properly, and enough is enough," Avella said. "Horses are incompatible with traffic - especially midtown traffic."
Avella is my councilman and is a very nice guy, but this is a great example of how wrong headed good intentions can be. Many of these horses are former racehorses who get the few slots available as carriage horses. The rest of them get sent to slaughterhouses in Texas and Mexico where they get chopped up and sold as dog food and meat in Europe and elsewhere. I agree that having the horses mixing with traffic is a bad idea for both drivers and the horses, but this is heavy handed and a stupid way to deal with that.
I think we've all looked at those horses at one time or another and felt bad for them, but I don't a ban that guarantees their death is more humane. They are also a charming relic of a city long gone, and should remain as a reminder for future generations. Also, there's an easy solution to this. Simply have the horses be parked inside the Central Park roadway, which is where they go anyway. They'd be a little less visible, but it would be better for both the motorists and the horses. You could also close the 6th Ave entrance to cars, there are lots of other entrances for cars and the horses could use that roadway exclusively without causing significant traffic problems. If anything, when the horses mix in with cars they cause congestion. So give them their own road, the 6th ave entrance is half theirs already.
NEW YORK (AP) - The horse-drawn carriages that clip clop around Central Park could be banned under City Council legislation to be introduced at the urging of animal advocates who say the horses are treated inhumanely.
Councilman Tony Avella, who plans to introduce the bill next Wednesday, said the horses that have entertained tourists and New Yorkers for decades are exposed to cruel conditions and are at risk of injury or death as they weave through city traffic.
In September, a horse died after it was spooked by street musicians with drums and bolted down Central Park South. It was the second such incident in less than two years.
"This situation is only getting worse - the animals are not being treated properly, and enough is enough," Avella said. "Horses are incompatible with traffic - especially midtown traffic."
Avella is my councilman and is a very nice guy, but this is a great example of how wrong headed good intentions can be. Many of these horses are former racehorses who get the few slots available as carriage horses. The rest of them get sent to slaughterhouses in Texas and Mexico where they get chopped up and sold as dog food and meat in Europe and elsewhere. I agree that having the horses mixing with traffic is a bad idea for both drivers and the horses, but this is heavy handed and a stupid way to deal with that.
I think we've all looked at those horses at one time or another and felt bad for them, but I don't a ban that guarantees their death is more humane. They are also a charming relic of a city long gone, and should remain as a reminder for future generations. Also, there's an easy solution to this. Simply have the horses be parked inside the Central Park roadway, which is where they go anyway. They'd be a little less visible, but it would be better for both the motorists and the horses. You could also close the 6th Ave entrance to cars, there are lots of other entrances for cars and the horses could use that roadway exclusively without causing significant traffic problems. If anything, when the horses mix in with cars they cause congestion. So give them their own road, the 6th ave entrance is half theirs already.