Latest news with #CentralParkConservancy
New York Post
2 days ago
- General
- New York Post
Jarring billboard of collapsed Central Park carriage horse plastered above NYC street where animal died
A jarring billboard of the Central Park horse that collapsed and instantly died on a Manhattan street was swiftly put up this week in animal activists' latest bid to get carriage rides banned. The graphic image paid for by PETA was placed above 51st Street and 11th Street in Hell's Kitchen near where the horse, Lady, keeled over on Aug. 5. 'Another horse dead. Please don't ride,' the sign implores. 3 The billboard came just days after the sudden death. PETA 'How many overworked horses need to suffer and drop dead on the streets of New York before this shameful cruelty is banned?' PETA spokesperson Ashley Byrne said in a statement. The horse's death has spurred renewed debate over whether the City Council should pass Ryder's Law, legislation named after a horse that died in 2022 which would ban carriage horses in Central Park. Even the park's stewards are weighing in after remaining neutral on the issue for years. The Central Park Conservancy urged lawmakers Tuesday to do away with the practice, citing public safety, damage to park roads and carriage drivers not cleaning up after their horses' waste. 3 The horse, Lady, crumpled to the ground and died earlier this month. Obtained by the NY Post 'As the stewards of Central Park, we are committed to preserving this iconic public space for the enjoyment of all New Yorkers and visitors,' the conservancy said. The union representing carriage drivers has argued that the animals are not subjected to cruel conditions as suggested by animal rights advocates, and that the death of Lady could not be prevented whether she was on a Big Apple street or grassy field. Preliminary results from the animal's necropsy indicates it died from an aortic rupture spurred by a tumor. 'The Conservancy has sold out its own mission to preserve the historic landscape of Central Park,' said Christina Hansen, a spokesperson for Big Apple horse carriage drivers. 'The park was designed to be seen from the back of a horse carriage, and the horses moving on the carriage drives were intended to 'animate the landscape.'' In fact, the Central Park Conservancy's website recounts that the winding drives, which were built in the mid-1800s, were designed 'to facilitate a scenic tour of the Park in horse-drawn carriages — the primary mode of transportation at the time — and discourage speeding.' 3 The horse had only been in the city a few weeks. Obtained by the NY Post Lady had just started giving rides after arriving in June from Pennsylvania, where she was sold at an auction. She underwent a city-mandated physical and didn't raise any issues before she collapsed and died.
Time Out
3 days ago
- General
- Time Out
Central Park Conservancy officially supports banning carriage horses in NYC
After more than a century of clip-clopping through the park's leafy drives, horse-drawn carriages may be trotting toward the sunset—if the people who actually run Central Park have their way. For the first time, the Central Park Conservancy has taken a public stand on one of New York's most stubbornly contentious issues, urging City Hall to ban carriage horses altogether. The nonprofit, which manages the park's 843 acres, announced Tuesday that it's backing Ryder's Law, a City Council bill that would phase out the industry by next June. Their reasoning? Safety, sanitation and the not-so-small matter of what steel horseshoes and half-ton carriages do to freshly repaved park drives. 'We do not take this position lightly,' wrote Betsy Smith, the Conservancy's president, in a letter to Mayor Eric Adams and Council Speaker Adrienne Adams. 'Simply put, this practice is no longer compatible with the realities of a modern, heavily used and shared public space.' She pointed to two 'runaway horse' incidents in May, one of which injured a pedicab driver, as proof that the risk can no longer be ignored. There are also complaints of manure left on drives, carriages illegally lining up near Columbus Circle and asphalt showing wear just months after expensive repairs. The move comes less than a week after a 15-year-old mare named Lady collapsed and died in Hell's Kitchen after giving rides in the park, an incident that reignited calls from animal-rights groups to end what they call an outdated and inhumane trade. Allie Taylor, president of Voters For Animal Rights, told Gothamist that the Conservancy's endorsement 'an important step toward a kinder future for these animals.' Not everyone is applauding. The Transport Workers Union, which represents carriage drivers, blasted the Conservancy's leadership as 'corporate aristocrats' willing to 'throw about 200 blue-collar workers…out of work' and accused them of desecrating a piece of Frederick Law Olmsted's original 1850s design. Drivers argue the cited safety incidents are rare, pavement damage is overstated and the real menace in the park is e-bikes and motorized pedicabs zipping past at unsafe speeds. For now, Ryder's Law has 19 Council sponsors but hasn't had a hearing since it was introduced last year. The mayor's office says it's meeting with both sides to 'keep our parks, animals and all New Yorkers safe.' Whether that means a full ban, stricter rules or just more signage remains to be seen. But one thing's certain: The fight over Central Park's most photographed ride is far from over—and the next chapter could be its last.
New York Post
3 days ago
- Politics
- New York Post
Ignore the blowhard activists— keep horse carriages in Central Park
It's amazing how much manure is produced by the elite interests trying to bully horse carriages out of Central Park. The latest is Central Park Conservancy President Betsy Smith coming out in favor of a City Council bill to ban the carriages citywide. 'With visitation to the park growing to record levels,' she claims, the ban is 'a matter of public health and safety for park visitors.' Advertisement In other words: Add the Conservancy to the long list of local nonprofits playing politics. In fact, it's been making life harder for the horses and their trade for years now: The CPC's recent street-markings update failed 'to designate a mixed-use lane for carriages to use as there had been,' notes Pete Donohue, president of Transport Workers Union of America, the union that reps the carriage drivers. Animal-welfare extremists and other ideologues have been trying to put the horses and their 200 carriage drivers and stable hands out of work for years. Advertisement But those blue-collar, largely immigrant or first-generation American workers don't matter to the well-paid leaders of the park nonprofit, nor to the City Council members backing the ban. As for safety in the park: Puh-leaze. Smith cites two recent incidents where horses got free from their drivers and ran loose through the park, resulting in a handful of injuries. That's nothing compared to the 522 bike-involved collisions, with one fatality, reported in the park from 2018 to 2022. Advertisement Not to mention the menace of heavier, faster, more dangerous e-bikes and e-scooters — plus the scandal-plagued pedicabs: Why isn't Smith demanding they get barred from the park? Carriage-haters seem to imagine the horses would otherwise roam free in fields somewhere, but now suffer horribly doing work . . . they've been bred for generations to do. Nor is there any evidence of true, systemic mistreatment in the carriage industry — only one-off stories distorted to stir up fury. Advertisement Last week, for example a mare named Lady died while on the way back to her stable in Hell's Kitchen, kicking off another round of outrage — when she actually died of a small tumor in her adrenal gland, not any abuse. There's no cause to completely ban a favorite tourist activity, which is undoubtedly a draw for those record visitors Smith brags about. The City Council shouldn't heed the high-horse panic-mongers seeking to kill a tradition that dates back nearly two centuries. Let the horses keep clomping through Central Park.
CBS News
4 days ago
- Politics
- CBS News
NYC's Central Park Conservancy calls for ban on carriage horses in the park
For the first time, New York City's Central Park Conservancy is calling for a ban on carriage horses in the park. Conservancy President and CEO Elizabeth W. Smith wrote to Mayor Eric Adams and City Council Speaker Adrienne Adams to voice concerns about the treatment of the horses, as well as the safety of pedestrians. "We do not take this position lightly, but with visitation to the park growing to record levels, we feel strongly that banning horse carriages has become a matter of public health and safety for Park visitors," Smith wrote. She said the Conservancy is supporting the passage of Ryder's Law, which would prevent new carriage licenses from being issued and end carriage operations altogether, starting June 1, 2026. Ryder's Law is named for a carriage horse that collapsed in 2022 and died of cancer a few months later. His handler was found not guilty of animal abuse in a trial last month. The Conservancy's letter comes one week after a carriage horse collapsed and died on 11th Avenue. Among her concerns, Smith cited two recent incidents where horses got away from their handlers and ran free down the roadway before they were caught. "These events underscore the unpredictable nature of horses in an increasingly crowded and dynamic urban environment, and the risk to public safety can no longer be responsibly overlooked," Smith said. Another issue, Smith said, is the damage she says carriages are causing to the park's roadways. "It is not fair that this relatively tiny subset of commercial operators is allowed to do such damage to the park at the expense of the millions of joggers, cyclists, walkers and other visitors to the park each year," she said. She also accused carriage drivers of failing to clean up after their horses and ignoring no-parking signs. "Our paramount concern is for the health and safety of the people who love the park, and it is in their name that we respectfully request that we turn the page on horse carriages, just as other major cities across the globe already have. It is time," Smith wrote. The Transport Workers Union called the Conservancy's support for Ryder's Law outrageous and accused the organization of "desecrating the park's storied history." TWU International President John Samuelsen said in a statement that Smith calling horse-drawn carriages a public safety concern "is absolutely ridiculous." "The Conservancy has failed miserably to manage the swarming hordes of unlicensed and illegally motorized pedicabs, e-bikes, and electric scooters that pose the real threat," Samuelsen wrote. "Its redesign of park drives with new markings directing the different modes of travel is a complete disaster and universally despised. It fails to designate a mixed-use lane for carriages to use as there had been. No wonder it's even more chaotic than before." He said the union is calling for a horse stable in Central Park on land that is not currently open to the public so horses would not have to walk on city streets, adding that it could also be used for educational and therapeutic purposes. The union says the passage of Ryder's Law would impact about 200 workers in the carriage horse industry. There are currently 68 carriages with city-issued medallions that are operated by a total of about 170 drivers and owner-drivers. The stable for carriage horses employs about 30 staff members to care for about 200 city-licensed horses.
Time Out
20-06-2025
- General
- Time Out
Central Park's gorgeous Conservatory Garden has reopened after years of construction
For the past three years, tall fences closed off one of the most beautiful parts of Central Park. Now, after three long years of extensive restoration, the spectacular Conservatory Garden is open once again and is in full bloom. The Conservatory Garden is a six-acre formal garden located in the northeastern quadrant of the park known for its peaceful design and historic charm. The garden underwent at $25 million glow-up, the most significant investment in the space since it was built in 1937, the Central Park Conservancy announced this week. Go see it along Fifth Avenue between 104th and 106th Streets in Central Park. The garden's three distinct styles—French, Italian, and English—have attracted many weddings and photoshoots over the years. It's also a beloved spot for New Yorkers looking for a moment of tranquility in the city. Visiting feels like a taking stroll through a European garden without having to buy a plane ticket. In the springtime, peonies and lilacs surge into bloom at the Conservatory Garden. In the fall, look for a bevy of mums among the garden's neatly trimmed hedges. While many of the garden's horticultural elements were addressed in 1983, this restoration focused on the comprehensive renewal of its historic hardscape, such as restoring bluestone pavers, updating stormwater draining, modernizing fountains, installing ramps and realigning paths. This type of restoration work hadn't been done at the garden in nearly 90 years. In addition, staff also replanted the Italian Garden's iconic crabapple allées with disease-resistant trees and repaired the steel pergola. This is a big year for upgrades to Central Park. The long-awaited Davis Center at Harlem Meer is now open. And the historic Delacorte Theater (where Shakespeare in the Park is staged every summer) will soon reopen after reconstruction.
