On Monday, City Council's Transportation & Infrastructure Committee voted to task city staff with creating a transition plan to phase out horse-drawn carriages within 12 to 36 months, the Express-News reports.
The proposal, approved on a 5-0 vote, also would include rules for introducing electric carriages as a replacement, according to the daily. Staff would have until the end of October to present a final plan to the full council for a vote.
District 2 Councilman Jalen McKee-Rodriguez, who's led the charge to phase out the carriages, argues that the horses face health and safety risks by working on increasingly congested downtown streets. Other critics maintain the carriages pose traffic concerns.
Meanwhile, carriage operators accused Transportation & Infrastructure Committee of showing no interest in compromises they offered, including spreading out the carriages and limiting horses' working hours, according to the Express-News.
“There’s no compromise at all,” operator Stephanie Garcia told the daily. “It’s we’re closing you down.”
Monday's vote follows a city-organized public survey in which 52% of the more than 50,000 participants said they want to phase out the horse-drawn carriages. Only 30% said they want the city to keep its downtown carriage regulations without any alterations.
“The results of the survey are clear," Councilwoman Marina Alderete Gavito said at Monday's meeting, the Express-News reports. "People wanted change to our current environment regarding this industry, and we need to find solutions to move our city forward."
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