Stanley Park’s horse-drawn trolley is a tragic accident waiting to happen.

Let the Park Board know you support removing the trolley

In 2016, horses pulling a tram full of tourists through Vancouver’s famous Stanley Park were spooked by traffic. The frightened animals bolted off the roadway, crossing a bike path and smashing a park bench before nearly taking the tram over the seawall.

Stanley Park horses spooked by car horn take tourists on wild ride
Some tourists in Vancouver’s Stanley Park went for an unexpected ride after a pair of horses pulling a carriage were spooked during an anti-pipeline protest. The carriage was stopped for protesters when a car sounded a horn and scared the horses. The animals jumped the curb, pulling the carriage into a bench and throwing one woman off.

Fortunately, no horses or people were seriously hurt, however, such incidents could easily occur in the future. Stanley Park’s horse-drawn tram is a tragic accident waiting to happen.

Being surrounded by motor vehicle traffic forces horses to inhale toxic exhaust and causes them mental distress, which can make the animals unpredictable and potentially dangerous to park pedestrians, cyclists and motor vehicles. There are also concerns about traffic being slowed in the lane currently allocated to motor vehicles, leading to motorists unsafely passing the tram in the lane allocated to cyclists.

Many cities, including Montreal, have banned such vehicles. It’s time for Vancouver to do the same.

The Vancouver Humane Society and UBC Animal Justice have sent a letter to Park Board Commissioners calling on them to end the horse-drawn tram in Stanley Park and put the safety of the horses, cyclists, and motorists first.

You can help prevent a tragic accident from happening – sign the petition now.

How you can help

Say no to horse-drawn trolleys in Stanley Park

Vancouver – The Vancouver Humane Society (VHS) is commenting on the controversy over the traffic problem caused in Stanley Park by horse-drawn carriages. The society says the carriages not only create a risk to public safety but also compromise the horses’ welfare.

This week, the operator of the carriage horse rides was quoted in media stating that conducting rides under a new traffic configuration in the park was an “accident waiting to happen.”

But VHS points out that a near-disastrous incident involving a runaway carriage took place in 2016, when spooked horses left the roadway and came close to falling off the seawall.

“The horse carriages have always been an accident waiting to happen, whatever the traffic arrangement in the park,” said VHS spokesperson Peter Fricker. “Now is the opportunity for the City to listen to local residents and prioritize safety, ensuring the increase in cycle traffic is adequately accommodated.”

Fricker said the current temporary arrangement, which provides one lane for motorists and another for cyclists might be a reasonable compromise but putting horse carriages in the mix appears unworkable. “If the new traffic pattern gives much-needed access to the park to both motorists and cyclists, it would be a shame to scrap it because of one business putting public and animal safety at risk unnecessarily.”

VHS opposes carriage horse rides in the city because of the dangers of the horses’ close proximity to traffic, the exposure to noise and pollution and long hours standing in all weather conditions.

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