Loitering and crime have gone down near the Moore Square Bus Station a week after crews shut down the Wilmington Street entrance, according to the city of Raleigh.
"In talking with Raleigh Police, as well as management staff, loitering in that general area as well as across the street at One Exchange Plaza has significantly decreased," a spokesperson with the city of Raleigh said in a statement to WRAL News.
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Crews put up chain-linked fences to block off both sides of the breezeway between Wilmington Street and Moore Square Bus Station last week.
Raleigh leaders said the reason for the fencing was to deter loitering and criminal activity like drug sales and alcohol consumption.
Raleigh police told WRAL News they also put up a mobile camera trailer across the street from the Wilmington Street entrance to the bus station.
"The mobile camera trailer is deployed in the area to support downtown public safety efforts," Raleigh Police Department shared in a statement to WRAL News. "The Police Department utilizes this trailer to provide additional situational awareness and oversight of the primary hospitality and nightlife areas downtown."
Businesses near the entrance on Wilmington Street said they have noticed a change over the past week.
"We've noticed definitely less traffic, less people loitering around the restaurant," Shannon Murphy, the kitchen manager at St. Roch Fine Oysters + Bar, said. "It's been a little quieter, a little more peaceful."
Murphy said blocking off the tunnel may help the business.
"It's helping maybe draw our customers in a little bit more," he said. "Maybe they're not intimidated to walk in when there's people standing around the the entrance and like by the entrance."
On the other side of the breezeway, Downtown Smoke Shop and convenience store is seeing a drop in sales.
“We've lost some revenue, but it's gotten a lot quieter, so I think that kind of balances that out," Nabil Algahmie, one of the owners of Downtown Smoke Shop, said. "If it keeps a lot of the young kids away, and it deters all that, then that's fine.”
He said his customers, who ride the bus, have not been happy about fencing.
Taniya Godley said she rode the bus into Moore Square Station to get to work. She tried to pass through the entrance and was rerouted around the corner.
"I wasn't expecting this," Godley said. "It was hot, and when I came up here, they were like, 'Oh, it's closed, you have to walk around,' I started sweating.”
Accessibility was a concern many had when the city decided to block off the breezeway. Signs on the fences say it is 172 steps from the Wilmington Street entrance, around the corner to the East Hargett Street entrance.
Algahmie said people with disabilities have told him they have struggled making the block instead of going through the breezeway.
The city said they are taking note of any issues with accessibility.
WRAL News asked the city what it is working on next for safety improvements at the bus station. They said they will keep monitoring the impact of the fencing and adjust as needed.
History of violence in Moore Square
Moore Square and the bus station have had a long history of violent crimes and criminal activity.
In August 2024, WRAL News reported on back-to-back stabbings at the bus station.
According to the Raleigh Police Department, they have received a total of 1,580 calls for service between Feb. 1 and Aug. 19. Those numbers include eight reports of aggravated assault, including one with a gun and six with a knife.
A man was charged with swinging a rusty machete and making threats to people at Moore Square bus station in January.
In mid August, North Carolina Alcohol Law Enforcement (ALE) called a joint operation with Raleigh police in Moore Square, arresting 35 people for more than 130 felony charges.