Move begins to ban horse-drawn carriages from city streets

Horse-drawn carriages are popular with tourists, but they're cruel to horses and dangerous to motorists, a downtown alderman said Wednesday, proposing that existing carriage licenses be allowed to expire and not renewed.

"They present a picture-postcard type of charm. But their time has past … They no longer seem justified," said Alderman Brian Hopkins.

"Just as the circus eventually eliminated elephants and closed its doors completely, it does seem like it's a relic from the past and doesn't have any place in an urban environment. It's just a matter of time before we experience a serious collision that could result in injuries or even death."

Hopkins and Alderman Brendan Reilly jointly introduced an ordinance that would delete all of the language governing city licenses and regulations for horse-drawn carriages and replace it with the single sentence that would mark the beginning of the end of the industry.

It states, "No horse-drawn carriage license shall be renewed."

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