City of Charleston additional King Street safety measures set to begin Thursday evening

CHARLESTON, S.C. (WCBD) – Charleston City leaders on Tuesday held a press conference to address safety concerns amid increasing crime on King Street.

Beginning this weekend, the Charleston Police Department (CPD) will begin implementing additional safety measures to mitigate the problem, including increased law enforcement presence, “increased enforcement of all laws, ordinances, and regulations,” increased DUI enforcement, and increased enforcements of occupancy limits in businesses.

The city is also making some traffic changes. Traffic on King Street between Spring and Mary Streets will be one direction only beginning at 9:00 p.m. on Thursday, Friday, and Saturday nights. The Northbound lane will be reversed for emergency vehicles only.

Additionally, parking will be prohibited between King and Mary Streets from 6:00 p.m. until 3:00 a.m. on Fridays and Saturdays. Towing will be enforced.

There will be overnight street sweeping on the weekends, and “more frequent cleaning of sidewalks and common areas.”

Other efforts include enhanced ID enforcement to weed out underaged patrons and additional lighting for dark areas.

The city says that it will “monitor the situation and work with area business owners to make additional improvements as necessary to preserve and protect public safety on King Street.”