Editing Central Park (section)

===Tours===
[[File:New York. Central Park. Carriage (4249565692).jpg|thumb|upright=1|alt=A horse-drawn carriage by the park|Horse-drawn carriage by the park]]
In the late 19th&nbsp;century, West and East Drives was a popular place for carriage rides, though only five percent of the city was able to afford a carriage. One of the main attractions in the park's early years was the introduction of the "Carriage Parade", a daily display of horse-drawn carriages that traversed the park.{{sfn|Kinkead|1990|p=46}}{{sfn|Rosenzweig|Blackmar|1992|pp=400–401}}{{sfn|Morris|1996|p=95}} The introduction of the automobile caused the carriage industry to die out by World War&nbsp;I,{{sfn|Rosenzweig|Blackmar|1992|pp=400–401}} though the carriage-horse tradition was revived in 1935.<ref name="Newsweek41307">{{cite web |first=Jessica|last=Bennett |title=Should Carriage Horses Be Banned?|work=[[Newsweek]]|date=September 25, 2007|url=https://www.newsweek.com/should-carriage-horses-be-banned-100229|access-date=April 21, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190421020140/https://www.newsweek.com/should-carriage-horses-be-banned-100229|archive-date=April 21, 2019|url-status=live}}</ref> The carriages have become a symbolic institution of the city; for instance, in a much-publicized event after the [[September 11 attacks]], Mayor [[Rudy Giuliani]] went to the stables to ask the drivers to go back to work to help return a sense of normality.<ref name="Newsweek41307"/>

Some activists, celebrities, and politicians have questioned the ethics of the carriage-horse industry and called for its end.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/12/16/AR2007121602021.html |title=Bill Could Halt New York Carriage Horses|last=Richburg|first=Keith B.|newspaper=[[The Washington Post]]|date=December 17, 2007|access-date=August 23, 2008|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081008011711/http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/12/16/AR2007121602021.html|archive-date=October 8, 2008|url-status=live}}</ref> The history of accidents involving spooked horses came under scrutiny in the 2000s and 2010s after reports of horses collapsing and even dying.<ref>{{cite web|last=Durkin|first=Erin|title=Central Park carriage horse collapses, prompts NYCLASS to demand investigation|work=New York Daily News|date=February 27, 2017|url=https://www.nydailynews.com/new-york/manhattan/central-park-carriage-horse-collapses-nyclass-calls-probe-article-1.2983680|access-date=April 21, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190421020140/https://www.nydailynews.com/new-york/manhattan/central-park-carriage-horse-collapses-nyclass-calls-probe-article-1.2983680|archive-date=April 21, 2019|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|last=Grove|first=Lloyd|title=Can PETA Stop Horse-Drawn Carriages in Central Park?|work=[[New York (magazine)|New York Magazine]]|date=January 31, 2008|url=http://nymag.com/news/intelligencer/45116/|access-date=April 21, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190328231358/http://nymag.com/news/intelligencer/45116/|archive-date=March 28, 2019|url-status=live}}</ref> Supporters of the trade say it needs to be reformed rather than shut down.<ref>See, for example: {{cite web|title=Horse Pucky|work=[[The New York Sun]]|url=http://www.nysun.com/editorials/horse-pucky/67271/|date=November 30, 2007|access-date=April 21, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180612162730/https://www.nysun.com/editorials/horse-pucky/67271/|archive-date=June 12, 2018|url-status=live}}</ref> Some replacements have been proposed, including electric vintage cars.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.nydailynews.com/new-york/central-park-conservancy-cars-poor-alternative-horses-article-1.1759280|title=Central Park Conservancy says cars are poor alternative to horses|work=New York Daily News|date=April 17, 2014 |access-date=May 11, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180612142318/http://www.nydailynews.com/new-york/central-park-conservancy-cars-poor-alternative-horses-article-1.1759280|archive-date=June 12, 2018|url-status=live}}</ref> Bill de Blasio, in his successful 2013 mayoral campaign, pledged to eliminate horse carriage tours if he was elected;<ref>{{cite web|title=Animal Rights Becomes Surprise Topic in New York Mayoral Race|work=The New York Times|issn=0362-4331|date=April 13, 2013 |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2013/04/13/nyregion/animal-rights-becomes-surprise-topic-in-new-york-mayoral-race.html|access-date=April 13, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190413211600/https://www.nytimes.com/2013/04/13/nyregion/animal-rights-becomes-surprise-topic-in-new-york-mayoral-race.html|archive-date=April 13, 2019|url-status=live}}</ref> {{as of|August 2018|lc=y}}, had only succeeded in relocating the carriage pick-up areas.<ref>{{cite web|title=In His 5th Year as Mayor, de Blasio Finally Acts on Horse-Carriage Pledge|work=The New York Times|issn=0362-4331|date=August 30, 2018 |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2018/08/30/nyregion/deblasio-horse-carriage-nyc.html|access-date=April 13, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190413211424/https://www.nytimes.com/2018/08/30/nyregion/deblasio-horse-carriage-nyc.html|archive-date=April 13, 2019|url-status=live}}</ref>

[[Cycle rickshaw|Pedicabs]] operate mostly in the southern part of the park, as horse carriages do. The pedicabs have been criticized: there have been reports of pedicab drivers charging exorbitant fares of several hundred dollars.<ref>{{cite web|title=Pedicab riders shocked by bills topping $200, $400, even $600|publisher=WABC-TV|date=January 19, 2018|url=https://abc7ny.com/2968749/|access-date=June 1, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190701140707/https://abc7ny.com/2968749/|archive-date=July 1, 2019|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://slate.com/news-and-politics/2013/07/new-york-city-pedicab-scam-how-not-to-get-scammed-by-a-pedicab-driver.html |title=Five Ways to Avoid Getting Scammed by an Unscrupulous Pedicab Driver|last=Peters|first=Justin|date=July 16, 2013|work=[[Slate (magazine)|Slate Magazine]]|access-date=April 13, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190413211425/https://slate.com/news-and-politics/2013/07/new-york-city-pedicab-scam-how-not-to-get-scammed-by-a-pedicab-driver.html|archive-date=April 13, 2019|url-status=live}}</ref>