Edita Birnkrant (NYCLASS) testifies, shares stable owner's call for exit
Edita Birnkrant of NYCLASS testifies, sharing a statement from Anita McGill of Chateau Stables that some current carriage owners want out of the business, and argues hitching posts are dangerous and encourage drivers to walk away.
Thank you, committee.
My name is Adita Bernkrant, executive director of NYCLASS.
For more than a decade, I've documented and reported the dangers of horse carriages.
But today, rather than repeat any of that, I want to amplify a voice that deserves this council's attention.
Anita McGill, whose family owned and operated Chateau Stables, once the largest horse stable in New York City for nearly 50 years, reached out to me
because she says several carriage owners are now desperate for a way to leave this business before a ban goes into effect.
My name is Anita McGill.
I am part of Chateau Stables, my family's business.
We owned the largest fleet of horse and carriages at our stable at 608 West 48th Street.
In 2018, we were the first to do that.
We sold our stable and semi-retired to our family farm.
I've been asked to submit a statement by some current horse and carriage owners to seek some relief and get help for them to be offered an option to get out of the carriage business.
My opinion talking with them is the quaint leisure horse and carriage ride is no longer like it used to be.
They are now squeezing past city bikes, pedicabs, runners, baby strollers, and millions of extra park goers.
This is a safety issue.
I feel there are no more safety solutions that can be applied to lower the risk of more and more accidents happening.
Frederick Olmsted designed the park to be seen by horse and carriage.
Yes, he did, but not in 2026.
Central Park is totally different just in the past 10 years.
It's exploded with millions more population and traffic.
Business is way down, I hear from some owners.
There is nobody applying for a horse and carriage license.
Owners struggle to pay the board.
What is the benefit?
I hope the city allows the horse and carriage owners to get out graciously and compensate them so that they and their horses can live peacefully.
Also, she made a point about hitching posts, which Councilmember Gennaro is obsessed with.
Hitching posts, to me, are only a recipe for more problems.
It encourages drivers to walk away and leave the horses alone.
Not every horse accepts being tethered.
They can feel tension, panic, and back up and bust up what's behind them.
Horses can rub their bridles off on hitching posts, creating a whole different set of problems.
So I think you know, please pass Romancia's law.
Intro 943, no more tragedies.
Thank you.
All right, before this panel goes anywhere, we have some council members that have questions.
Council member?
Oh, I'm sorry, we have the hybrid, I forgot.
Dr.
Craig Kulikowski, you have two minutes.
They know.
Dr.
Kulikowski, are you online?
He is.
Are we having technical issues?
Because he says he's online.
All right, we'll come back to him.
In the meantime, Councilmember Wong has questions, and we have another councilmember also with questions.