...

uvádí můj frazeologický slovník (FIN Publishing) jako dosunout na vedlejší kolej; nebo také "push st. onto the sidelines"

Zatím se mi z nabídnutých odpovědí nejvíce líbí set/push aside. Doplňuji další varianty. Možná bych to formulovala takto: the opinions/wishes of owners were disregarded.

Další možnost: fifth wheel - být ignorován, být jen do počtu

that's our American idiom, perhaps British, but I never know...

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Note added at 1 day4 hrs (2008-10-14 10:56:38 GMT)
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Here I don't think the owners are going to be put on "second tracks"... nor do we want to cook them. This is an idiomatic phrase conveying mostly the same meaning as the idiomatic phrase in source language, I wouldn't go reading too much into it beyond that. They weren't sidetracked or bypassed, they were given by the opinion of some secondary priority, whereas urgency isn't even addressed. Not to be scrapped, but to be taken up later, otherwise the burner would have been shut off. You can even match passive voice phrasing. They were put on the back burner.