The De Blasio administration's move to shrink the horse-carriage trade in Midtown, and relocate the animals to Central Park, is a big compromise on his initial promise to ban carriage horses completely on his first day in office.
In a city like New York, where overarching issues like inequality and poverty inhabit almost every corner of the city, putting priority on such an issue seemed like a curious move. That was, until you considered the amount of money the animal rights movement put into getting De Blasio elected, and their dubious ties to property developers.
When I visited the stables in Midtown last year, the small two-storey building was dwarfed by the high-rise building that were shooting up around it. The plans to extend the 7 train service to the area had created a flurry of interest from developers. Neil Byrne, the owner of the stables, pointed to the dilapidated building next door, which had just sold for $88 million.
Byrne had no interest in selling the stables or allowing the developers to buy him out of his valuable land. He worried that city might take the horses from Midtown, or ban the service altogether, and force him out of the business he loved. With the announcement this week, his fear may soon be realised.
Of course, many would argue that the slow decline of the carriage horse industry is a small price to pay for the safety and welfare of the horses. But animal rights activists have also opposed the new legislation, saying it does not go far enough.
The industry was once made up of 80% Irish or Irish American drivers, so either way, the decline is the end of an era. This is a report I produced for Drivetime last year, where I spoke with those involved in the industry, and those opposed to it.
In a city like New York, where overarching issues like inequality and poverty inhabit almost every corner of the city, putting priority on such an issue seemed like a curious move. That was, until you considered the amount of money the animal rights movement put into getting De Blasio elected, and their dubious ties to property developers.
When I visited the stables in Midtown last year, the small two-storey building was dwarfed by the high-rise building that were shooting up around it. The plans to extend the 7 train service to the area had created a flurry of interest from developers. Neil Byrne, the owner of the stables, pointed to the dilapidated building next door, which had just sold for $88 million.
Byrne had no interest in selling the stables or allowing the developers to buy him out of his valuable land. He worried that city might take the horses from Midtown, or ban the service altogether, and force him out of the business he loved. With the announcement this week, his fear may soon be realised.
Of course, many would argue that the slow decline of the carriage horse industry is a small price to pay for the safety and welfare of the horses. But animal rights activists have also opposed the new legislation, saying it does not go far enough.
The industry was once made up of 80% Irish or Irish American drivers, so either way, the decline is the end of an era. This is a report I produced for Drivetime last year, where I spoke with those involved in the industry, and those opposed to it.
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