This just in from 1925: Dallas looks to ban horse-drawn carriages on city streets

A line of horse-drawn carriages pictured in Central Park

Dallas, Texas could soon become one of the largest cities in the US to ban horse-drawn carriages.

The Dallas City Council will vote Wednesday on the ban, The Dallas Morning News reports, which would prohibit the carriages on public streets, though not private property. The vote follows a committee hearing in April when members recommended the ban.

Council member Adam Bazaldua said these carriages could lead to “a tragedy occurring”. Dallas only has one licensed carriage operator, North Star Carriage, while several other businesses use the streets “illegally,” he added.

“This isn’t an attack on one business,” Bazaldua said. “It’s just a fact that we have no ability to regulate a much larger industry.”

Brian High, who owns the North Star Carriage company, said there isn’t a problem in Dallas.

“We’re all kind of baffled that they could vote to ban this, and it isn’t based on information that shows a real problem in Dallas,” High told The Dallas Morning News. “Other operators are in Dallas for short stints, and there hasn’t been any safety issues.”

Horse carriage rides have operated in the Texas city for the past 40 years and evoke an early 20th century feel for special occasions like weddings and proms.

However, some have long advocated for a ban, arguing the carriages can be unsafe for people and horses.

Raquel Carbajal, co-founder of Ban Horse Carriages Dallas, told local outlet KERA News that she’s thrilled to see the vote taking place.

“It’s a win-win for everybody,” she told the outlet. “Because I know people that are out there driving ... they’re worried about ... just driving safely. And then you have a horse out here. To me, it just doesn’t make sense. It’s just a disaster and a dangerous situation.

Bazaldua pointed to two 2019 incidents in nearby Highland Park, The Dallas Morning News reports. In the first incident, a driver was stuck between two parked cars and a carriage carrying several people. The carriage and car got into a wreck as they tried to navigate around each other. The second incident involved a spooked horse that took off down the street and caused the carriage passengers to be thrown out.

Other major cities, like Las Vegas and Salt Lake City, have banned horse-drawn carriages. Bans are increasing around the world including in Montreal, Amsterdam and Istanbul.

The Chicago City Council voted to stop renewing horse-drawn carriage licenses beginning in 2021. Jodie Wiederkehr, executive director of the Chicago Alliance for animals, praised the decision at the time.

“The Chicago Alliance for Animals is overjoyed that Chicago officials finally acknowledged that humane tourism is the way of the future and banned this inhumane, archaic and dangerous relic before a human or horse suffers or dies from this unnecessary activity, like so many have in other cities,” Wiederkehr said, according to the Associated Press.

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