The New Year’s Day truck attack on Bourbon Street has led some residents to call for better security for pedestrians in the French Quarter. Some even want parts of the Quarter to be pedestrian-only — no cars allowed.
Although temporary metal barricades are up near a community-made memorial with hundreds of flowers and 14 crosses representing each of the victims, French Quarter resident Chris Olsen says the area still isn’t secure.
“It would be very easy to drive onto Bourbon from any of the cross streets or drive the opposite way down the street,” he said. “There’s nothing there to prevent it.”
Since the attack, calls have grown for the city to rethink safety and security in the Quarter. The city plans to unveil a new removable bollard system ahead of next month’s Super Bowl. But Olsen says the neighborhood needs a more radical fix.
He wants the busiest stretches of Bourbon and nearby Royal Streets to be off limits to cars year-round. He’s launched an online petition asking the city council to consider it. He says it’s the only thing that would help locals and tourists feel safer.
“Obviously it doesn’t prevent everything from happening, but it would be a huge step in the right direction,” he said.
His idea isn’t totally new. A current pedestrian only zone from Canal to St. Phillip does not impact current residential parking spaces, according to Olsen’s petition. Cities across the globe have adopted pedestrian-only zones in recent years as well, including Times Square in New York City.
Since the 1970s, Bourbon and nearby Royal Streets have been closed to car traffic during peak foot traffic times.The idea of closing the street to car traffic 24/7 was floated during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic. But it drew protests from some residents and business owners at the time.
However, in the wake of the horrific attack, opponents of the plan are staying mum. Groups that have opposed the idea in the past, like the French Quarter Management District, declined to comment on this story.
As of this writing, over 5,000 people have signed Olsen’s petition. One of them is April Cammarata, the owner of Maskarade, the Quarter’s last handmade mask shop, located just a block from Bourbon.
She says even before the attack, she had concerns about pedestrians getting hurt.
“I see people driving full speed towards families crossing the street right here on Royal Street,” she said. “There’s nobody stopping that.”
She says shutting down the street in front of her shop could make it harder for her to get deliveries. But she’s not opposed to the idea if it means her customers feel safer year-round.
“It’s a long-term commitment,” she said. “We have to be able to protect the pedestrians here in the summertime too and make sure it’s just as serious as it is then as it is during Super Bowl.”
But can the city really protect people from every threat? The New Orleans Police Department recently hired former New York City Police Commissioner Bill Bratton as a consultant to help them identify other vulnerabilities.
At a press conference, Bratton said cracking down on an area like Bourbon Street, where people are encouraged to enjoy themselves freely, is tough, but he suggested a number of safety improvements that didn’t involve banning cars.
“Whether it’s utilization of drones, cameras, better lighting, there’s so many ways to enhance security,” he said.
Bratton’s is expected to release a report with more recommendations sometime over the next two months.
But Olsen, who started the pedestrian mall petition, hopes the city council takes action now.
“We’re finally trying to do something about it, put some real change in place so that this doesn’t happen again,” he said.
So far, councilmembers haven’t taken up the idea, and neither Mayor LaToya Cantrell’s office nor Council Vice President Helena Moreno have responded to a request for comment.
