Latest news with #SummerEmergencyVehicleAccessPlan
Yahoo
4 days ago
- Lifestyle
- Yahoo
How does Myrtle Beach's weekend traffic control work? What we saw downtown
As tourists converge on downtown Myrtle Beach for the summer, the city has implemented its 'flushing' traffic control to keep Ocean Boulevard moving. 'I understand why they have it,' said Uber driver Darin Shaw. 'It's kind of just to help so it's not all clustered, because there'll be over 50 cars, just going in a row. They're all going one mile per hour, and everybody's trying to show off their car.' According to the Myrtle Beach Police Department, the Summer Emergency Vehicle Access Plan re-routes traffic to improve response times, increase visibility and allow officers to address concerns. 'It's nice if they can travel back and forth, the cops have a much faster response time for, like theft, everything,' said Stephen Mace, who works in an Ocean Boulevard storefront. 'They get here so much quicker.' It works like this: from 4 p.m. to 2 a.m. on Friday and Saturday nights, the northbound lane on Ocean Boulevard is closed from 9th Avenue North to 16th Avenue North. Additionally, between 8th and 9th Avenue North, all traffic is blocked and re-routed to Kings Highway. Although a road sign alerted motorists of the ban on northbound traffic at 16th Avenue North, and cones with 'no left turn' signs were set up on streets intersecting Ocean Boulevard, some drivers seemed confused. On Friday evening, The Sun News saw more than 20 cars drive northbound on Ocean Boulevard in the flushing zone. Drivers made confused U-turns or pulled right out of oceanside hotels and businesses. 'It's not common,' said Mace. 'Every once in a while, it's typically somebody that's drunk, but also older people that don't see the signs, then it happens, but every once in a while you get a DUI out of it.' No officers were out to direct the flow of traffic, and one unmarked police vehicle–a black Dodge Charger–traveled southbound in the northbound lane around 5:40 p.m. Other than that, there didn't appear to be much of a police presence to enforce the traffic pattern early in the evening. MBPD did not respond to requests for comment on Friday evening. However, around 6 p.m., marked police vehicles began patrolling the area. 'The cops normally hit the beat on the strip around 5,' Mace said. 'You have all the kids revving and people doing whatever the hell they want, and [around] 5, the cops are out here, and everybody kind of settles down a little bit.' Car alarms blared, trash cans toppled and pedestrian traffic slammed to a stop when a brief but powerful summer storm hit around 6:30 p.m. But police presence remained as rain poured down, as patrols continued and a recruitment truck set up between lanes around 14th Avenue North. Over the course of the evening, The Sun News witnessed one traffic stop for a car traveling north in the flushing zone, around 7:20 p.m. By 10 p.m., two officers were set up between lanes on the 900 block of North Ocean's Boulevard near the location of the April 26 shooting where 11 people were injured. In addition to the MBPD cars, The Sun News saw at least one Horry County Sheriff's Office van and one State Trooper vehicle on Ocean Boulevard. But the limited traffic pattern can complicate work for rideshare drivers in the area. 'When this is going on right here, it's hard it's hard to even pick people up off the boulevard, when there's tons of trips on the boulevard,' said Shaw. The city does have designated rideshare pick-up spots adjacent to Ocean Boulevard on Withers Alley, but it's difficult to direct 'clueless' customers unfamiliar with the area and convince them to meet there. To get to customers on the oceanside of the boulevard in the flushing zone, Shaw said he has to 'weasel' his way to their location and turn on his hazards. 'If I were to go to the designated spots that the city has, it's gonna piss off the customer, because they have to walk all the way to the car,' Shaw said. 'It could be frustrating and prevent us from getting tips, and that's pretty much our main source of income, because Uber takes about 50 to 60% of the ride fare.'
Yahoo
27-04-2025
- Yahoo
1 Dead, 11 Injured During Police Officer-Involved Shooting at Popular South Carolina Tourist Spot
One person is dead and nearly a dozen people were injured during a shooting that involved police in a popular tourist destination in South Carolina. According to a police statement shared on Facebook, officers who were near the 900 block of North Ocean Boulevard in Myrtle Beach at around 11:50 p.m. local time on Saturday, April 26, saw an altercation break out between multiple people. One person fired a weapon during the fight, police said, and one of the officers at the scene "responded by discharging their firearm." Police said the person shot by an officer died from their injuries. Eleven other people have reported being injured and are currently receiving medical treatment. The officer who discharged their gun was not injured. One man who witnessed the shooting described the incident as "traumatizing" to local outlet WPDE, and recalled seeing people near him drop to the ground after being shot. "I remember hearing gunfire shots just start going off everywhere. I remember seeing a girl fall that had been injured. I remember seeing the guy who had been shot fall to the ground," Michael Howard told the outlet. "I seen blood everywhere. It was just very traumatizing." Want to keep up with the latest crime coverage? Sign up for for breaking crime news, ongoing trial coverage and details of intriguing unsolved cases. The Post and Courier reported that the shooting took place near where police are stationed during the city's Summer Emergency Vehicle Access Plan. A section of Myrtle Beach's 9th and 8th avenues, as well as North 16th Avenue to 9th Avenue, are blocked off every Friday and Saturday night, and officers patrol the area during the busy summer season. The Myrtle Beach Police Department (MBPD) and South Carolina Law Enforcement Division (SLED) have asked the public to share any information or videos taken of the shooting on April 26. "We continue to remind those who may have information or video footage related to this incident to come forward. Information can be shared with SLED or the Myrtle Beach Police Department at 843-918-1382," the department wrote on Facebook. "Our hearts and continued prayers are with all those affected, as well as their loved ones during this difficult time," the MBPD added. The Myrtle Beach Police Department did not immediately respond to PEOPLE's request for further information on Sunday, April 27. Read the original article on People
Yahoo
27-04-2025
- Yahoo
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. * * * 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. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
17-04-2025
- Yahoo
Myrtle Beach restarts traffic flushing on Ocean Boulevard to aid movement of emergency vehicles
MYRTLE BEACH, S.C. (WBTW) — The city of Myrtle Beach has restarted a seasonal traffic pattern change along Ocean Boulevard that's aimed at making it easier for first responders and other emergency personnel to move around on the busy downtown road. The Summer Emergency Vehicle Access Plan, also known as flushing, is in effect every Friday and Saturday night from 4 p.m. to about 2 a.m., Myrtle Beach police said in a Facebook post. The northbound lane of Ocean Boulevard from 9th Avenue N. to 16th Avenue N. will be closed to regular traffic during those hours. All traffic will flow southbound, and the section between 8th and 9th Avenue N. will be closed in both directions to create a dedicated lane for emergency vehicles, police said. Traffic will be rerouted to Kings Highway. 'This initiative focuses on three key goals: improving response times for our first responders, increasing officer visibility, and allowing officers to proactively address any concerns throughout the area,' police said. Secondary streets and parking lots will remain accessible. 'We encourage everyone to continue supporting our great local businesses,' police said. 'To help navigate the area, updated traffic patterns are available on Google Maps and Waze.' * * * Dennis Bright is the Digital Executive Producer at News13. He joined the team in May 2021. Dennis is a West Virginia native and a graduate of Marshall University in Huntington, West Virginia. Follow Dennis on Facebook, X, formerly Twitter, and read more of his work here. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
