Police to Lessen Halloween Restrictions

The most obvious problem is the sheer number of people who descend on Franklin Street, making parking virtually impossible and posing a potential safety hazard with masses of participants.

Last year, officials tried to resolve the congestion by not permitting cars to be driven inside a 2-mile radius around downtown Chapel Hill.

Chapel Hill Police Department spokeswoman Jane Cousins said that this year officials decided to return to a policy used two years ago that did not block off roadways into town.

Cousins said the town is planning to combat the problem by encouraging people to use park-and-ride lots around town instead of driving. "The town will provide round-trip shuttle buses in hopes of reducing the cars around the area," she said.

She said the town also is aiming for 300 police officers from all over the state to be on duty downtown.

Reaction to last year's policy of closing roadways was generally negative. "It was disruptive," said Chapel Hill Town Council member Mark Kleinschmidt. "You couldn't get through town."

Many students also found the plan inconvenient. "I live in an apartment off campus, so I couldn't get there," said senior Erin Potts. "I would support going back to the policy from two years ago."

Even students on campus were not positive about the policy.

"It was hard for our friends who live off campus," said senior Leigh Jefferson.

Although the large numbers of people cause problems, they are part of the attraction of this celebration. "There are thousands of people on the main street of the town. It's kind of a spectacle," said Jefferson.

The policy was also frustrating for some of the celebrants, who said it seemed ineffective. "It didn't help control incidents," said senior Kristin Gibson. "My friend and I walked right into a fight."

As for crowd control, senior Eric Heiss did not see a huge improvement either. "I don't think it really solved anything; there still seemed to be a lot of people there."

Participants were subjected to stringent security in terms of what they could wear with their costumes downtown. These new guidelines were established after Sept. 11, which Kleinschmidt thought may have influenced the decisions.

"People were nervous." he said. "I'm not sure if those concerns are as pressing now. There are obvious concerns about this spontaneous celebration, but it isn't an event to come down on with an iron fist. It's a lot of people in a small space."

The extra security and enforcing the 2-mile radius around downtown last year was an expensive project. "We spent almost twice what we had the year before," said Kleinschmidt.

After last year's Halloween, he said he did not think the money was well spent.

Despite what restrictions the town might place on the celebration, people like senior Jasmine McGhee say they will not stay away.

"It's a place where everyone can come together -- it fosters a good sense of community."

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