NEW ORLEANS — The streets of the French Quarter have been quieter than usual these days as many people stay home during the COVID-19 outbreak.
City Hall has been considering if it’s time to keep the Quarter like this — fewer cars and more space to walk — even after the pandemic passes.
Mayor LaToya Cantrell has asked her administration to study possible changes.
Some ideas, first reported by The Times-Picayune | The New Orleans Advocate, include:
- Converting sidewalks to outdoor seating
- Reducing vehicular speeds
- Converting Orleans Avenue into a pedestrian mall between Royal and North Rampart
- Closing Chartres, Conti and Iberville to traffic in the afternoons.
The city said this has “the potential to draw both locals and tourists to the French Quarter.”
Vieux Carre Property Owners, Residents, & Associates, an advocacy group for the neighborhood, said it will work with the city to bring about change if necessary, but has concerns about the ideas.
“VCPORA cannot support any concept that prohibits or limits a resident’s access to their own home,” the group said in a statement. “Further, we will not endorse any effort that contributes to the commercialization of the neighborhood by prioritizing a visitor experience over residential quality of life.”
City Hall was also looking at the possibility of closing Frenchmen street to traffic at night. The City Council would have to vote on any changes before they take effect.
Bob Simms, who has lived in the Quarter for 14 years, said he’s not against the city exploring possible changes.
“The idea to make the French Quarter more pedestrian-friendly is a good idea,” he said.
He just doesn’t want a decision like that to be rushed since it would affect businesses and the Quarter’s 4,000 residents.
“This is a plan that came from City Hall without much input from the neighborhood,” he said. “The neighborhood and the businesses need to weigh in on this plan.”
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