In the genteel language of Charleston, tourist buggy rides that clog downtown streets are called “carriage tours.” But this kind of buggy generally isn’t the carriage of yore that carried two or four people. These buggies are monster wagons on wheels that carry up to 16 people and a driver — a huge load of thousands of pounds for any beast of burden.
Carriage rides are in the news again — and not just because Charleston had to shut down rides July 8 when extreme summer heat made the rides unhealthy for horses and passengers alike. Last month in New York, an 18-year-old tourist from India died in a tragic Central Park accident. According to news reports, a driver stopped his wagon to take a picture of a visiting family. But then the horse bolted, causing the youth’s mother to fall. The teen jumped from the carriage to help her, but fell and hit his head.
Now New York’s city council is looking seriously at abolishing horse-drawn carriages in Central Park. In recent years, several attempts have failed, but the council’s speaker, Julie Menin, now supports the ban, saying the teen’s death was a tipping point. His death, she said, “clearly was preventable.” While a bill on the measure has 21 sponsors, it needs five more votes to pass. But analysts say Menin’s support may tip the balance.
Ansonborough resident Ellen Harley was asked to testify last week in a New York hearing on the proposal. “In my 20-plus years of advocating for humane living and working conditions for carriage animals, I have no doubt that it is time this 19th-century conveyance is relegated to the quiet lanes of the countryside,” wrote Harley, founder of Charleston Carriage Horse Advocates in prepared remarks. “Most of us love nostalgia, but when it turns deadly or abusive, it is time to turn the page. …
“Join with cities across the globe — Philadelphia, Chicago, San Antonio, Salt Lake City, Montreal, Toronto, Paris, London, Beijing, Mumbai and Melbourne — that have banned carriage rides. Leave the 19th century to movies and museums.”
Charleston City Council should take action to consign carriage rides to the pages of history for the good of the animals and to decongest downtown’s increasing traffic. It’s sad to say, but everybody knows failure to do so will lead to future accidents — or worse.
To make a ban on carriage rides more palatable, council must also ensure that it works with local employers, particularly those in the hospitality industry, to find good jobs for the drivers, animal carers and others in the carriage industry so they remain a part of Charleston’s dynamic tourism economy.
There’s a solution to the issue of getting heavy horse-drawn wagons off of downtown streets. Council just needs to use its God-given talents to come up with a meaningful, just and humane solution. And sooner than later.
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