Judge Allows Moving Horse Pickups Into Central Park: Reports

CENTRAL PARK, NY — A New York state judge ruled in favor of the city Department of Transportation's proposed rule change to move horse carriage pickups from Central Park South into three Central Park entrances, according to reports.

The city may implement the new rule as early as Friday, dramatically changing the way the carriage industry operates in and around the park, the New York Post reported. The city's plan was announced in August, but was put on hold when carriage owner Giovanni Paliotta sued the city.

Manhattan Supreme Court Justice Arthur Engoron sided with the city in agreeing that the Department of Transportation has the authority to regulate the carriage industry, the Post reported. Opponents of the new rules argued that only the City Council had that power.

"This explicit grant of authority to DOT, viewed in connecting with DOT’s stated intent of mitigating the amount of time horses spend mingling with, and presumably impeding traffic, renders its proposed rule beyond judicial reproach or second guessing," Engoron wrote in his decision, as reported by the Post.

Carriage owners filed a motion Thursday to reargue one of their causes in court, a spokeswoman for the industry said in a statement. Industry spokeswoman Christina Hansen said that justice Engoron ignored the owners' argument that the city DOT violated the City Administrative Procedure Act when it introduced its rule change to move horse pickups zones.

In addition to the potential violation, the DOT has made no effort to set up the new boarding zones, which includes a complete redesign of the Park's East Drive and painting specific walkways for pedestrians and carriage passengers near the new pickup zones, Hansen said.

"As we have said since this rule change was announced, we have grave concerns about our horses' welfare during this move and afterwards," Hansen said in a statement. "Anyone who knows horses knows that they are creatures of habit and moving the horses from their usual safe and secure spots on Central Park South will cause undue stress and worry for them."

A separate lawsuit seeking to block the rule was filed this month by a second group of carriage owners. City law officials and animal rights activists described the suit as frivolous.

New pickup zones will be located at the following locations:

• Grand Army Plaza: The center lane at the Grand Army Plaza entrance on Fifth Avenue and East 60th Street.
• Sixth Avenue: Within the park entrance north of Central Park South.
• Seventh Avenue Entrance: The east curb, about 20 feet from Central Park South.

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