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Rome joined other cities that have already banned horse-drawn carriage rides from the streets, such as Oxford, Barcelona, New Delhi, and Tel Aviv. And cities such as London, Â鶹APP, and Toronto no longer issue licences for horse-drawn tourist carriages. Rome has banned the traditional horse-drawn carriages from operating on the city’s streets, ordering that the Botticelli can only circulate in public parks and historic villas. In addition, the city has offered the Botticelli drivers the option to switch to a taxi license.

This ban comes after months of vocal protests from animal rights activists who describe the city’s streets as a cruel working environment for the horses, several of whom have collapsed and died under the strain of the summer heat. Even after the ban from the streets of Rome, the activists have criticised the authorities for not abolishing the mode of transport altogether.

Over the years, a record number of incidents have occurred and possibly pushed the city to make the decision to ban horse-drawn carriages in Rome. In 2008 an 18-year-old horse died while at work near the Colosseum. In 2012 an exhausted horse collapsed in Piazza di Spagna, under the strain of carrying six tourists in 40-degree heat. The driver attempted to beat the animal back to work and only ceased following the intervention of the police.

The horse-drawn carriages are popular with tourists, and under the new law, the horses are mandated to follow established routes. The route includes stops scheduled every 45 minutes and for no more than seven hours a day. The horses will also not be allowed to circulate from midday until 17.30 in the hottest months of the year, July and August.

This news was received with mixed reactions from various quarters. The ban was welcomed by Rome mayor Virginia Raggi who wrote on her Facebook page: “Carriages will no longer be able to circulate in the streets, in the traffic, but only inside the historic parks.” She added, that the historic move would mean “no more tired horses forced to travel the city’s streets among cars, under the sun.”

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The city authorities also applauded the move citing that Horses forced to pull carriages are often so debilitated they collapse, and some die in the street from exhaustion. Horses are individuals with their own needs and desires who shouldn’t be exploited for tourism. These sensitive, social animals naturally live in herds and being forced to haul carriages filled with humans is completely unnatural to them.

If you’re a tourist in need of transportation to explore Rome, you have various options to consider including using a cab, renting a bike from a bike-share service, or simply walking.