Horse drawn carriages in downtown (Atlanta, Columbus: credit, hotel, movie theater)

[DWColumbus]

Horse-drawn carriages could be allowed in uptown if this ordinance moves forward

I saw this article yesterday. They are discussing the possibility of offering horse drawn carriage rides downtown. How would everyone feel about this?

At peak times there is a lot of traffic going through downtown so I'm not sure how that would work unless perhaps they ran the rides away from the busier sections of downtown. The article also mentions opposition due to the conditions the horses would have to endure.

[JayHey]

I'm mostly ambivalent about this. The time restrictions avoid the busiest parts of the day, event days like Friday night concerts would force a route adjustment, and as long as the diapers work and the rules are adhered to, it sounds ok.

I don't imagine there would ever be more than 3 or 4 carriages out and about.

[Columbus1984]

I’m not a fan. With all of the controversy surrounding this around the country I don’t think it’s a good idea. Focus on something else.

[columbusboy8]

I'd rather see the Rialto and Bradley theaters renovated into a multiplex. Not everybody does whitewater, and students, hotel guests, restaurant and folks living and visiting downtown could enjoy dinner and a movie within walking distance of their lodging---instead of getting in their car and driving to a restaurant and movie theater elsewhere!!

[SeetheUSA]

I agree Columbusboy. The theatre district is a real gem here and should be invested in further. I don't think the horse & carriage idea would cost anything though. It would be a company that worked the streets just like a taxi service. It would make a little tax revenue, but that's about it.

My biggest concern would be traffic flow. It's already pretty tight down there, and only 1 lane to use in each direction would slow things down even more. Not to mention the stops they take along the way.

[Atlanta Scientist]

They manage to make the carriages work with all the traffic and events in the tourist area of Atlanta.I'm sure it wouldn't be too much of a back up in Columbus. I think the carriages look tacky outside of picturesque places like Savannah. Not mention the treatment of the horses as well.

[columbusboy8]

Originally Posted by SeetheUSA

I agree Columbusboy. The theatre district is a real gem here and should be invested in further. I don't think the horse & carriage idea would cost anything though. It would be a company that worked the streets just like a taxi service. It would make a little tax revenue, but that's about it.

My biggest concern would be traffic flow. It's already pretty tight down there, and only 1 lane to use in each direction would slow things down even more. Not to mention the stops they take along the way.

I have the same concerns, but it's probably worth a trial run anyway, to see how things go. Not having a working movie theater right downtown drives me batty! I can see one of them being a "Legends" type venue (with Legends shows), performances by up and coming bands, comedians, amateur theater, improv, classic and seasonal movies, film fests...SO MANY options!! And with all the students, visitors, and folks living, dining, and visiting downtown, restoration of both of these old theaters seem like a no-brainer to me! It probably could be done using historical preservation credits to boot!

[GAlakecountry]

Tacky. Smelly. Will slow traffic on Broadway to 5mph because there’s not a passing lane. So, yeah, great plan!

[WASwift]

We have them in Charleston. Heck, this city is known for its horse-drawn carriage tours.

They aren't without controversy and some very strict regulations. They City shuts the tours down when the asphalt is too hot. There is a group pushing to lower that temperature. I think it's current 96 degrees. They want it lowered to 92.

The city also has about 4 designated tour routes which are randomly assigned to each carriage tour. (There were carriage companies that were monopolizing certain routes, so the city created this system to be more fair, and to keep the carriages off of certain streets.)

All of them will gladly move out of the way ASAP when they see a car behind them to let them pass.

As for horse...um...waste. They throw markers on any horse poop that falls to the street. It's cleaned up within about an hour.

I think it would add a lot of charm and character to Columbus.

[columbusboy8]

Originally Posted by WASwift

We have them in Charleston. Heck, this city is known for its horse-drawn carriage tours.

They aren't without controversy and some very strict regulations. They City shuts the tours down when the asphalt is too hot. There is a group pushing to lower that temperature. I think it's current 96 degrees. They want it lowered to 92.

The city also has about 4 designated tour routes which are randomly assigned to each carriage tour. (There were carriage companies that were monopolizing certain routes, so the city created this system to be more fair, and to keep the carriages off of certain streets.)

All of them will gladly move out of the way ASAP when they see a car behind them to let them pass.

As for horse...um...waste. They throw markers on any horse poop that falls to the street. It's cleaned up within about an hour.

I think it would add a lot of charm and character to Columbus.

Based on your comments, I feel better about the whole idea! Plus, it would add some revenue to city coffers.

Although not usually thought of as a tourism city, like Charleston, Savannah, Asheville, etc. Columbus DOES have a sizable, and constantly growing, tourism industry of its own!! Including sports "tourism" (likely even more so than these other cities). And a huge "military tourism" industry, which I feel needs to be much further promoted, through military base publications, the Stars & Stripes, social media-like Facebook, etc. etc. And in billboards near Ft. Benning and near the National Infantry Museum! If we could get visitors to add an additional day or two to their already planned visit, it would be a TREMENDOUS boost to our growing hospitality industry, and benefit our whole region! Restaurant and hotel owners would get an obvious boost in business, but so would ALL the businesses here!! These folks need to form a group, and work with the Chamber of Commerce to explore how to make this happen!! For the benefit of all! There should also be billboards in and around greater Atlanta, and near Great Wolf Lodge promoting Columbus!! Go after the low hanging fruit, so to speak! I used to live and work in Atlanta, and my wife and I often got away for long, relaxing, weekends away from Atlanta's big city hassles! PROMOTE COLUMBUS in ATLANTA---and the rest of Georgia!! I'd start with regular ads in the Atlanta Journal-Constitution Macon Telegraph,and the Auburn and Montgomery papers! Time's a wastin,' Columbus!!