"Nearly unanimous backlash"

Despite the numerous, strenuous objections voiced here, the city seems intent on plowing forward with a plan to close Bourbon Street (and a good portion of the Quarter by extension) off from the grid that serves to define it as a living, breathing urban place. 

The Landrieu administration's proposal to bar vehicles from most of Bourbon Street faced nearly unanimous backlash from about 150 residents and business owners at a public meeting Tuesday night.

The proposal, a significant part of the city’s $40 million plan to enhance security citywide, is still being fleshed out, and both city officials and consultants acknowledged they have run into significant hurdles as they’ve tried to develop a way to close Bourbon that would allow deliveries to stores, minimize the impact on residents and not create more traffic headaches in the French Quarter.

A month from now when the final plan is rolled out, this meeting will be cited as evidence that the public participated in the decision making process. But the decision has already been made.  None of the options presented at the meeting involved leaving the street open the way it is now.