BACKGROUND:
On January 2, 2006, a horse pulling a hansom cab in Manhattan got spooked and bolted down 9th Avenue, galloping for several blocks before smashing into a station wagon at 50th Street. The horse was badly injured, wrapped around the car, with his rear legs on top of it and his head on the ground. He was later euthanized. He was five years old and had only been working in the city for a few months. His name was Spotty. The driver was critically injured and was taken to the hospital along with the two passengers of the station wagon.
This tragic and horrifying accident did not have to happen. For decades, NYC animal advocates have sought a ban on this dangerous industry. Hansom cabs are an anachronism in mid town Manhattan's congested streets and belong to another century when there were far fewer vehicles and pedestrians. When they are mixed with cars, taxis, busses, pedestrians, bikers and emergency vehicles - fire trucks, ambulances and police cars - they are a recipe for disaster. Other cities such as London, Paris and Toronto have all banned carriage horses.
Please join us in asking the NYC Council and Mayor Bloomberg to ban this industry. We encourage not only New Yorkers, but those who live in other states and countries, to sign this petition. It is time for NYC to move into the 21st century and take seriously its moral and ethical responsibility to these sentient beings while ensuring the safety of its citizens. Surely as a civilized society and America's premier city, we must do no less.
Therefore:
Because horse drawn carriages constitute a danger to people in cars, on bicycles and on foot, And
Because they impede the flow of traffic, particularly with respect to emergency vehicles; And
Because it is inhumane and unbecoming to a great city like New York to force these beautiful, sentient animals to work in dangerous, unhealthy and unnatural conditions,
We the undersigned hereby urge Mayor Bloomberg and the City Council to immediately ban all horse drawn carriages from the City of New York.
