The Public Safety Review Committee approved the establishment of a Glass-Free Zone for the State Street area during the annual Freakfest at their meeting Wednesday.
The Glass-Free Zone policy will be in effect from 9:30 p.m. on October 29 to 5:30 a.m. on October 30. Additionally it will be enforced from 9:30 p.m. on October 30 to 5:00 a.m. on October 31. The zone will be in effect on the entirety of State Street on city-owned property.
The committee said they believe that enforcement of this policy will help limit numerous dangers involved with glass, whether they result from accidentally broken glass on the street or the use of broken bottles as weapons in drunken fights.
The Glass-Free Zone ordinance recommendation was not intended to limit the amount of bottled alcohol brought into the festival, however, according to Michael Scott, Chair of the Public Safety Review Committee and Professor of Law at UW-Madison.
The City of Madison has implemented several changes to Freakfest restrictions in the past few years in order to combat the safety hazards characteristic of the infamous event. The change of Freakfest to a gated and ticketed event, altered traffic patterns and improved lighting have all contributed to creating a safer environment, according to Scott.
""All of the problems with rioting and so forth we used to have on Halloween have to a great extent disappeared, in part as a result of these changes,"" Scott said.
At this point, the Police Department and the committee said they believe they have done most of what needs to be done in order to make Halloween in Madison as safe as possible. The proposed regulations involved with Freakfest have become standard procedure in the past few years, but they must be heard and approved by the Common Council again each year.
There have been fewer incidents at Freakfest in recent years with the Glass-Free Zone and other restrictions in effect than there were several years ago, according to Scott.
The ordinance will be up for approval by the Common Council Tuesday Oct. 19.
