27-04-2025
Visitors worried about traffic, accidents with Myrtle Beach emergency vehicle access plan
MYRTLE BEACH, S.C. (WBTW) – Some people tell News13 they are worried about traffic and accidents on Ocean Boulevard, now that the Myrtle Beach Police Department's Summer Emergency Vehicle Access Plan (SEVAP) is in full swing.
Myrtle Beach Police say the plan is meant to improve emergency response times, officer visibility, and proactive policing.
The plan is in effect Fridays and Saturdays from 4 p.m. to 2 a.m.
The northbound lane of Ocean Blvd is closed between 9th Avenue North and 16th Ave N. The section between 8th and 9th Aves N. is closed in both directions to create an emergency vehicle lane.
Woodrow Turner, a Myrtle Beach visitor, says the city already has summer traffic issues, and the access plan will only make them worse.
'From Thursday through Saturday, you got a lot of people coming in,' Turner said. 'So, the traffic is going to double, triple substantially. It's going to cause a lot of problems.'
Drivers can still use Kings Highway, secondary streets, and parking lots to get to businesses.
But Turner says Friday's traffic did not make that easy.
'It took us a little longer to get to where we were trying to go,' he said. 'So, we ended up having to park a little way's away and then walk to our restaurant.'
Connie Turner says people come to Myrtle Beach to have fun and worry less.
However, she says SEVAP is inconvenient and may even lead to accidents.
'When you're on vacation, you're on that 'vacation mode,'' Connie said. 'People don't pay as close attention as they typically would, I think. So, that's going to cause some problems.'
Most businesses affected by the access plan are hotels. We spoke to many hotel employees, who did not want to go on camera, but say they did not even know about the plan until we spoke.
Although the Turners are not fans of the access plan, they say many drivers do not move over when they hear the emergency sirens.
'I do believe they should have their own lane, but I don't feel like they should inconvenience the residents to make that happen,' Woodrow said.
Myrtle Beach Police recommend using Google Maps and Waze for updated traffic patterns.
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Skylar Musick is a multimedia journalist at News13. Skylar is originally from Long Island, New York. She joined the News13 team in June 2024 after graduating from Villanova University in May 2024. Follow Skylar on X, formerly Twitter, Facebook, or Instagram, and read more of her work here.
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