During a press conference on Tuesday afternoon, Charleston Mayor John Tecklenburg, members of Charleston City Council, and Police Chief Luther Reynolds joined local business owners to announce the following series of public safety measures that will be implemented on King Street beginning this weekend:
- Stepped up police presence
- Increased enforcement of all laws, ordinances and regulations by police, fire and code enforcement officers
- Conversion of all vehicular traffic to one-way along King Street between Spring and Mary Streets beginning at 9 p.m. on Thursday, Friday and Saturday nights, with the northbound lane being reserved for emergency vehicles only
- Weekly prohibition of on-street parking and implementation of tow away zones along King Street between Spring and Mary Streets from 6 p.m. until 3 a.m. on Fridays and Saturdays
- Increased DUI enforcement throughout the downtown area
- Additional enforcement of IDs among underage patrons
- Additional lighting for dark portions of King Street
- Increased enforcement of business occupancy limits by the city Fire Marshal Division
- Overnight weekend street sweeping
- More frequent cleaning of sidewalks and common areas
The city will continue to monitor the situation and work with area business owners to make additional improvements as necessary to preserve and protect public safety on King Street.
