Latest news with #Coggin
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Yahoo
Myrtle Beach police reflect on successful Carolina Country Music Fest weekend
MYRTLE BEACH, S.C. (WBTW) — The Myrtle Beach Police Department said this year's Carolina Country Music Fest was a great one when it came to public safety. Police department spokesperson Randolph Angotti said this year's new, late-night traffic pattern helped significantly in creating an easy walking space for country music fans. Thursday through Sunday last week, police diverted traffic from northbound on Kings Highway to 7th Avenue North, as well as moving flowing southbound Kings Highway traffic onto Mr. Joe White Avenue. 'That allowed us to have an unobstructed intersection at 9th Avenue North. So when gates were opened as people were exiting, they were able to safely and more freely cross the intersection here, and it also allowed the shuttle buses to move very quickly to get the spectators that were using the shuttle service,' he said. Angotti said this system was highly effective, and he hopes to use it again for next year's CCMF. Working with all the city departments, Angotti said the multiple perspectives help with how to progress safety protocols for years to come. 'If the police department ends up needing help or needs a quick hand with something, even if it's not directly public safety-related, other city departments jump in really quickly,' he said. 'We also had extra traffic units throughout the city because we do know that there's extra traffic in our area for an event such as the size.' As months go into planning public safety for CCMF, in addition to the late night traffic pattern changes, hydro and vehicle barriers were placed surrounding the perimeter of the event. 'Those hydro barriers really create the first barrier between vehicles and the pedestrians, wherever they are,' he said. 'Those vehicle barriers just add that reassurance so that there's there's no vehicles entering into a space where there shouldn't be, potentially endangering those that were inside.' Those who have been attending CCMF for all 10 years said that they feel police presence has gotten better each year, adding that they feel that police could be seen inside and outside the event, protecting those in attendance. 'They know more of what's going on and how it's going to happen,' Amanda Crump said. 'So they've been able to better assist us as far as safety as the years progressed.' Jensine Coggin, who lives in Myrtle Beach, said she feels crime has worsened near the Boulevard. She added that she feels less safe walking downtown as the sun goes down. 'I'm going to be honest. I don't walk down here at night by myself. I've never been down here at night by myself,' Coggin said. Coggin said living in the community since 2022, she's felt the police have gotten stronger down by the Boulevard. She said that when there are larger events like CCMF, police are on top of responding to crime. 'But as for like police response, I think they do a great job handling it because, I mean, obviously they don't know when something's going to happen,' she said. 'But you see police guards rotating areas, especially at night, and like areas and stuff like that, you know, that more crime does happen, especially here on the strip is one of them.' Angotti said Ocean Boulevard is still closed between 8th and 9th avenues North as production teams break down the CCMF stage and will reopen Thursday. * * * Gabby Jonas joined the News13 team as a multimedia journalist in April 2024. She is from Columbus, Ohio, and graduated from Kent State University in May 2023. Follow Gabby on X, formerly Twitter, Facebook or Instagram, and read more of her work here. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
12-02-2025
- Automotive
- Yahoo
Vail asks governor for help enforcing traction law on commercial motor vehicles
VAIL, Colo. (KDVR) — The mayor of Vail says his community has had enough when it comes to commercial vehicles causing crashes. Those crashes, the mayor of Vail says, bring the area to a standstill. The snarls can last hours, cause dangers and cost millions of dollars. Truckers must carry tire chains if they drive these Colorado roads Vail Mayor Travis Coggin is asking Governor Jared Polis and state lawmakers for help getting the problem fixed. Coggin said the crashes happen way too often near Vail and other mountain towns. 'This affects everyone in Colorado from Golden all the way through Glenwood Canyon,' Coggin said. He said the crashes slow down emergency vehicles in town and create headaches for people living in the area just trying to get home from work. Commercial motor vehicles not following traction laws, Coggin says, are the biggest offenders. 'We obviously have very significant impacts here on Vail Pass and then over on Eisenhower Tunnel when you have a blatant disregard for our commercial vehicles laws and the chain up that is required when we have inclement weather,' Coggin said. The Colorado State Patrol told FOX31 that troopers issued 1,000 chain law violations in 2023 and 2024. 'This would include both proactive enforcement, such as not carrying chains, and failing to comply with chain law resulting in a road closure,' CSP Public Affairs Trooper Gabriel Moltrer said. FOX31 Weather: View the latest Denver forecasts, maps and radar Coggin pointed out that the closures can cost millions of dollars. CDOT spokesperson Charles Marsh said shutting down Interstate 70 can cost $1.6 million an hour. '(CDOT) has partnered with the Colorado State Patrol on information campaigns to bring attention to chain laws and have enacted safety closures from time to time that are in place to try and help avoid accident closures which shut down the roads for longer periods,' Marsh said. Vail's mayor wrote Governor Polis a letter asking for help. Coggins would like to see more speed and chain-up enforcement. He'd also like to have meetings with those who are responsible for helping make I-70 safer. 'The Governor and his administration have taken action to ensure Colorado's roads are safer for all Coloradans and the millions of visitors who travel our state each year. Improving road safety is part of Governor Polis's plan to make Colorado one of the top ten safest states in the nation and the Governor is open to discussions on how Colorado can ensure safer travel for Coloradans and visitors,' Governor's Office Deputy Press Secretary Ally Sullivan said. Charlie Stubblefield has seen many of the crashes up close. Stubblefield owns the Mountain Recovery Towing and Mobile Mechanic Services in Silverthorne and says most crashes he has seen on the I-70 Corridor involve 18-wheelers. 'A lot of the times the people we are dealing with on the side of the road with these semis is that they don't understand that is that they need to chain their trucks up,' Stubblefield said. Stubblefield said many of the drivers are from out of state and others have language challenges that keep them from understanding some aspects of mountain safety laws. $71M Eisenhower-Johnson Memorial Tunnels project will address interior ice buildup 'Colorado State Patrol is working proactively to educate and reach a 'transient' motoring population. Some professional drivers are from Colorado, but a significant number are from outside of our state,' Moltrer said. Back in Vail, people say a highway shutdown creates a frenzy that can sometimes last for hours. FOX31 spoke with Jorge Chavez who works at a convenience store next to I-70. He recalled one shutdown that lasted for nine hours in Vail. 'I saw the parking lot of the McDonald's and it was like a disaster. Really bad, really bad,' Chavez said. Many who live in this mountain community are hoping something is done to reduce the number of crashes like these soon. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
