Crime & Public Safety
Conway implements pedestrian-only zones, road closures for City of Halloween
Pedestrian-safety measures are being implemented in Conway for the City of Halloween, including expanded pedestrian-only sections in the downtown event core. City leaders reported large crowds arriving in the area in the weeks before the event’s official kick-off, prompting officials to restrict vehicle access on parts of Laurel Street and Second Avenue and establish a continuous pedestrian corridor through the main activity area.
Conway Chief of Police Dale Long described the specific changes: the expanded pedestrian zone will include a long section of Laurel Street and Second Avenue that will be 100% pedestrian through the core of activities. Officials said the closures respond to crowding patterns observed in recent days and weeks, and that the altered traffic pattern is intended to separate foot traffic from vehicle flow around the downtown festival footprint.
Agency action includes added police personnel to manage crowds and traffic where the pedestrian zones end, and the Conway Fire Department will be on standby to address any medical needs during the event. Chief Long also relayed his observation that some pedestrians are not consistently aware of their surroundings while attending previous events, a behavioral issue the department cited as increasing the risk when people leave the closed pedestrian zones and re-enter vehicle traffic.
As reported, the measures are being put in place for the City of Halloween kickoff; officials characterized them as proactive crowd- and pedestrian-safety steps. No arrests, injuries, or subsequent law-enforcement actions were reported in the source material.
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