OUR OPINION: Closing parking lots and restricting road access is too harsh and may prevent the Haunted Hike from flourishing.

Halloween is Friday, and with it comes the Haunted Hillsborough Hike. However, University officials are considering restricting on-campus road access and parking.

With the new restrictions on bars and other Franklin Street businesses and limit on who may attend the Halloween festivities in Chapel Hill, students are more likely to stay in Raleigh for the Haunted Hike.

The Haunted Hike is not comparable to Franklin Street’s Halloween festivities. Shutting down roads and parking on campus is an overreaction. University administrators should work with local businesses and the Raleigh Police Department to build upon the Haunted Hike in a safe manner.

Will Savage, general manager at Red Hot & Blue, said RPD has handled most of the safety issues this year, and that he expected more people to be at the Haunted Hike, particularly with the new restrictions on the Franklin Street festivities.

As a former Chapel Hill resident, Savage said the University should help monitor safety issues and get involved with some of the planning.

Yet University officials are looking to copy some of the harsh, restrictive measures Chapel Hill officials are implementing on Franklin Street this year.

The University’s plan entails restricting access to main roads through campus to people who present a valid student ID with a checkpoint system. Additionally, RPD will have zero-tolerance policy with any violations, and Campus Police and Student Conduct are looking to punish students for any arrests or citations they receive during the Haunted Hike.

Clearly, the University is trying to crush a tradition before it can even establish itself.

There is no reason for the University to impose additional penalties for any citations students receive from the RPD during the Haunted Hike. And limiting on-campus parking will force students to park around Hillsborough Street, taking spots away from local residents.

The new restrictions on Franklin Street may keep more people in Raleigh for the Haunted Hike this year, but it is highly unlikely that Hillsborough Street will be flooded with tens of thousands of Halloween revelers.

Safety is an issue, and keeping the Haunted Hike safe becomes increasingly difficult if a large number of people attend. But killing a potential tradition because of possible issues at future events is short-sighted and exceedingly harsh.

The University should be involved with the safety and expansion plans for the Haunted Hike. It should not crush all the plans by shutting down roads and parking decks and punishing students twice for violations they commit during the night.