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Council hears public praise and safety concerns as staff recommends smaller Halloween road‑closure footprint
Summary
After a successful pilot last year, staff recommended a smaller 'candy‑corn' closure area and safety measures for the 2026 Halloween event; police warned Saturday timing increases call‑out risk and council directed staff and Complete Streets to develop alternative plans and cost estimates.
City staff and police briefed the council July 13 on recommended changes to Brisbane’s Halloween road‑closure pilot, proposing a reduced footprint to keep San Bruno Avenue open while closing adjacent side streets and adding temporary lighting, larger barricades and volunteer maps.
Caroline (public‑works/parks staff) described lessons learned: larger barricades were needed, lighting was dim at some intersections, and volunteer maps and off‑site overflow parking helped last year’s event. “The recommendation for this year is that the footprint of the closure area be made slightly smaller with San Bruno remaining open,” staff said.
Commander Garcia of the police department warned that because Halloween falls on a Saturday this year officers could be called to outside incidents and that keeping San Bruno open reduces bottlenecks and safety hazards on narrow side streets. He said last year’s closure pushed traffic onto narrow streets such as Alvarado and created hazard points.
Public commenters who helped run last year’s pilot urged the council to keep a larger footprint or to ensure robust crossing‑guarding and volunteer staffing so the event keeps the community spirit. Sarah Mills said the pilot was “our MVP last year” and asked for ways to retain last year’s spirit while addressing safety. Michelle Salmon suggested targeted closures on Alvarado to create a larger, but controlled, candy‑corn footprint.
Council members debated tradeoffs: some favored the smaller, safer footprint staff recommended and asked staff to focus on outreach to rideshare/delivery platforms, temporary lighting, volunteer recruitment and options to contract third‑party traffic control for a larger footprint if desired. Others urged expanding hours (suggested 5:30–8:30 p.m.) and monetization ideas to help fund volunteer and staffing costs. The council directed staff and the Complete Streets committee to produce alternative plans (A/B/C) with associated costs and staffing scenarios and return in September.
What’s next: staff will work with Complete Streets, police and volunteers to return to council with multiple closure options and cost estimates before the event.
