Vehicles will return to Raleigh parades under new rules
READ MORE
Raleigh Christmas Parade Coverage
On Nov. 19, 2022, the driver of a truck towing a float in the Raleigh Christmas Parade apparently lost control of the vehicle. A young girl died after she was struck. This is ongoing coverage by The News & Observer.
Expand All
Update: This article was updated at 3 p.m. June 18, 2024.
Vehicles will return to Raleigh’s parades under new rules.
The city put parade permits on hold after getting criticized for how it handled last year’s Christmas and Veterans Day parades.
On Tuesday, the Raleigh City Council approved new rules that will take effect June 25.
The city initially denied a permit for the 2023 Christmas parade, partly out of respect for the family of Hailey Brooks, the 11-year-old girl who was fatally hit by a runaway float truck during the 2022 parade. The driver was charged with involuntary manslaughter, among other offenses.
But after public outcry and a statement from the Brooks family, the city allowed the parade providing it didn’t have motorized vehicles.
Organizers of the 2023 Veterans Day parade canceled their event days before it was to take place after being told last minute they could not have vehicles.
Apology for missteps: The city apologized for how it handled the parade-permitting process and paused permits until new rules could be adopted.
“I acknowledge that some mistakes have occurred in our processes, and in our communication,” City Manager Marchell Adams-David said in a September 2023 meeting. “Please be assured that all of our actions related to these events have been and will continue to be motivated by our desire to ensure the health, safety and welfare of those that attend or take part in them.”
What are the new rules?
As of March 2023, the city required a current inspection, license and registration for all drivers and vehicles/trailers in a parade. Drivers had to be 21 years old, no alcohol or firearms were allowed in the vehicles and minors had to be accompanied by an adult in a vehicle or a float.
The new and enhanced rules include:
- Parade organizers must collect a driver’s license for the class of vehicle they wish to operate in the parade with no relevant moving violations, as well as evidence an operator is trained to safely operate a specialty float and the vehicle is appropriately rated to tow the assigned float.
- For any motorized vehicle, organizers must have proof of a recent (within 30 days of the event) vehicle safety check by a qualified mechanic familiar with that type of vehicle. The inspection must include operation of the vehicle’s brakes, tires, lights, horn, emissions, and a current registration.
- Parade organizers must conduct a risk assessment to identify risks that are most likely to occur or would have the greatest impact on participants or spectators.
- Parade organizers must now obtain an operator safety acknowledgment from each driver.
- Parade organizers will ensure that every motorized vehicle included in the parade satisfies points of inspection in the Motorized Vehicle Inspections Checklist before the vehicle leaves the staging area.
- Parade organizers will hold required meetings with participants prior to event.
- Parade organizers will be required to submit an official lineup of all parade entries to the City.
The city of Raleigh shared the proposed new rules with parade organizers earlier this month.
“We’re happy to comply with whatever the city puts in place,” Jennifer Martin, executive director of Shop Local Raleigh, and the Greater Raleigh Merchants Association, said then. “We appreciate all the work that they’ve been putting into this process and reviewing this, and that there are opportunities presented to return parades back to our community.”
There are no changes to pedestrian-only parades. And parade organizers can pursue a pedestrian-only parade if they cannot meet the new requirements.
‘A learning experience’
The rules were reviewed by the City Council at a June 18 meeting, and the city received 33 responses from residents online. About half wanted to see vehicles come back and half did not.
City leaders were also briefed in closed session about the new rules.
“Our staff really went country wide and worked with different alliances that are focused on parade safety,” Mayor Mary-Ann Baldwin said. “So we’re talking the big parades like in New York and other places. What are there best practices? What are they doing? So we really used that as a learning experience.”
The city got good feedback about the 2023 Christmas parade, which featured large balloons, Baldwin said.
“People said, ‘There was no noise from vehicles’ and ‘I could hear the music,’” she said. “It just seemed calmer; they liked the vibe. So I’m just wondering if that feedback will influence some of the organizers.”
The city also spent time researching how people with accessibility needs can participate in parades. The city was criticized for not allowing vehicles in the Veterans Day parade
This story was originally published June 6, 2024 at 2:59 PM.
.JPG)
