WHY CONTINUE?  I am sure some people wonder why we continue with this campaign - i.e.our belief that shutting down the horse-drawn carriage trade is the only humane and ethical answer.  They often mistakenly believe that asking for more regulations will somehow work.  They say this with absolutely nothing to substantiate this claim.  They think it is easier than asking for a ban.  It is not. 

There are many similarities between the carriage trades in cities around the world.  They often appear to be entrenched and a tourist attraction.  They are generally left alone by authorities because the existing regulations are unenforceable unless they hire specific law enforcement agents to oversee the carriage trade.  That is not about to happen anyplace. 

WHAT IS AN ACTIVIST?  An Activist is a person who campaigns to bring about political or social change. They do what it takes to get the job done.   But some so-called activists give up.   They show up for demonstrations for a while, then tire and move on to other things.  They never bother calling their elected representatives or writing letters to newspapers.  They never offer to do any of the grunt work.   They want a new experience so they move on. 

The Coalition to Ban Horse-Drawn Carriages has not given up.  We no longer have demonstrations because they did not work.  There is no bill in the Council to promote.  We keep up our Facebook page and are biding our time.  

We witnessed how getting more regulations eventually backfired in the late 1980s and early 1990s in New York City.   This is our history and we need to learn from it.  Organizations that ask for more regulations do not understand that even if they passed, which is unlikely, it would be in name only because they would not be enforced. 

REGULATIONS FAVORED BY THE TRADE:  Since that period, the only regulatory laws passed were developed by and favored the carriage trade.  For example, the size of stalls was increased from 48 sq. ft to 60 sq. ft. - still much too small  (should be at least 144 sq. ft. but preferably 196 sq. ft.) This was lauded as a big victory in the non-questioning media.  The horses still do not get turnout to pasture because the space for it does not exist.  They still work on hot humid days for long hours. They still overload their carriages; still make illegal u-turns and still leave their horses dangerously unattended and untethered.  The Authorities let the drivers get away with these infractions. 

IT'S ALL ABOUT THE MONEY:  The carriage drivers want you to believe that there is nothing wrong with what they do so there is no reason to change anything.   Adding clauses to reduce the hours worked or a humidity index would mean less income.  For several years now, they managed to get the majority of newspapers in NYC to back them.  President Trump unfairly calls all media he does not like "fake news."  But the original fake news was started by the  NY Daily News with their support of the carriage trade and their daily outrageous lies.  They continued to claim that the drivers had "good union jobs" when nothing was further from the truth.  Most of the drivers did not even belong to the union and those who did never got any benefits.   The refuse to reconsider their position. 

The City Council and Mayor operate without a backbone and prefer to keep the status quo.  To do otherwise might make the unions campaign against them in their next election.  Don't rock the boat is their mantra. 

THE FUTURE IS SOON:  We strongly believe the days are numbered for horse-drawn carriage businesses in urban areas.  When the Hell's Kitchen area of Manhattan (home of the four stables)  is fully developed with new high-end office buildings and residences, the carriage trade will not be welcome.   It negatively affects traffic; is dangerous and unsanitary.  The owners of several of the stables are aging and might well want to sell and get out of the business.  Drivers will be without jobs. 

One would think that someone in this group would be smart enough to realize that and to look to create a new lucrative tourism business.