Police Announce Halloween Plans

Officials say that traffic has always been a major issue surrounding Halloween and that the downtown lacks sufficient parking for the influx of people.

Town officials have limited available parking for Oct. 31, prohibiting parking on streets in and near downtown Chapel Hill.

For the first time, the town will offer an alternative to parking downtown. Shuttle buses will run between four park-and-ride lots and downtown Chapel Hill.

Town officials are encouraging everyone to use the service. Director of Transportation MaryLou Kuschatka said, "People should take advantage of the buses because the later the night gets, it will be harder to find somewhere to park."

The Jones Ferry Road lot and the Southern Village Lot at U.S. 15-501 South will take participants to the old Trailways Bus Station on West Franklin Street. The Friday Center and University Mall lots will shuttle to East Franklin Street.

The shuttle buses will continuously run from 8 p.m. until 2:30 a.m. and will charge $2 for one-way passage and a $3 charge for round-trip.

Kuschatka said special events, including Halloween, are not included in the yearly transportation budget. "The shuttle service will not be able to operate without the charge," she said.

The buses will use Raleigh Street from East Franklin Street to Cameron Avenue to load and unload passengers.

Downtown streets will be closed to traffic at 8 p.m. Residential streets near downtown will be closed to everyone except residents and their guests.

To ensure the safety of patrons, police officers will close Franklin Street from Raleigh Road to Mallette Street. Columbia Street will be closed from Rosemary Street to Cameron Avenue.

Alcoholic beverages, glass bottles, fireworks, explosives, animals, weapons, paint and flammable substances will not be allowed on Franklin Street. Police will confiscate any items that look like or could be used as weapons.

Jane Cousins, Chapel Hill police spokeswoman, said 300 police officers from all over the state will be on hand to control the crowd, in addition to Alcohol Law Enforcement officers.

Cousins said last year's more stringent Halloween policy was enacted to decrease the size of the crowd by diverting traffic from a 1-mile radius of downtown. This year, officials say, more out-of-town visitors might attend the event because of decreased security policies.

The City Editor can be reached at citydesk@unc.edu.