(Listen to Newell's full interview with Glade Bilby here)
President of French Quarter Citizens, Glade Bilby, joined the Newell Normand Show Thurs. to discuss the progress of ongoing proposals that could lead to major changes in the Quarter, including permanently closing Bourbon St. to car traffic.
Bilby took time to discuss a recent meeting between Mayor Cantrell, NOPD leaders, and French Quarter residents.
“One of the things that came from that meeting,” Bilby said, “is the mayor had actually asked the group of people, probably 40 people, ‘Does anybody really envision a permanent closure of Bourbon Street?...Raise your hand.’ Nobody raised their hand.”
Don’t get it twisted, the French Quarter is far, far more than its annual average of 19 million booze-fueled tourists raging ‘til dawn at Razoo, The Dungeon, or taking in cajun music while sucking down Hand Grenades at the Tropical Isle Bayou Club.
People live there year-round. Recently, FQ residents met with Mayor LaToya Cantrell to discuss the future of the city’s most trafficked area.
It’s been a process assessing and addressing what must happen in the FQ to minimize security risks while maintaining a steady ingress and egress of both pedestrian and auto traffic. As FQC President, it's Bilby’s responsibility to organize and speak for FQ residents. So far, he expressed satisfaction with how the city has handled these discussions.
“I think that, more than ever…The the administration's being more transparent” said Bilby.
“We knew there were going to be barricades,” Bilby continued. “We knew there was going to be a secure block around Bourbon Street between Royal and Dauphine, and everybody's used to some sort of traffic interruption…Two months prior, we had a lot of street construction and repaving, milling and repaving. And so we were there was blockages all over the place. That wasn't so difficult.”
Extra barricades, barriers, and security personnel during crowded events were straightforward first steps. Now, the sights turn to larger questions, like should Bourbon Street be pedestrian-only?
Bilby stated, “There’s been a lot of conversation about this because it's going to affect business and residents. Obviously, permanent (closure to vehicle traffic) is much different than sporadic or specified closures. As long as there's a pattern that can be developed and having adequate ingress and egress, I get the sense that the neighborhood's not opposed to that.”
Right now, the main focus is assessing the impacts of what that means to congestion in the Quarter. Bilby explains, “Tourist cars, luggage, food, liquor, there's a lot of stuff going on every day. So it would be really difficult to close off any significant sections.”
Bilby also touched on the concern of how heavy traffic can impact and deteriorate the Quarter’s historic infrastructure.
“We have a lot of infrastructure that has to be maintained on a 24/7 basis,” said Bilby. “So, closing it for a certain amount of time, that makes a lot of sense. I think we're up for some plan. So what happens after Mardi Gras when all of this kind of relaxes? What do we do next? That's what we need."
Bilby cited the example of IV Waste taking proactive measures to institute positive change that helps reduce traffic and preserve the FQ environment.
Bilby said, “Sydney Torres now has smaller garbage trucks that are more effective in the Quarter. They don't rattle all the old buildings. They're more nimble. And I think doing things that recognize the status of the architecture, the narrow streets, and the tremendous number of people that come through here is important. And I think IV Waste has done a terrific job.”
