Myrtle Beach drivers will soon see changes in the busy tourist district as the City Council takes action to end downtown Flushing.
Among a slew of legislative initiatives on the agenda for Tuesday’s Myrtle Beach City Council’s first meeting of the year, a new motion would direct City Manager Jonathan “Fox” Simmons Jr. to end the Summer Emergency Vehicle Access Program (SEVAP), commonly known as flushing.
City police said the program is designed to improve response times, increase visibility and allow officers to solve problems. The plan would seasonally reroute portions of the northbound lanes of Ocean Boulevard on weekend evenings.
Incoming mayor Marc Krua said the traffic diversions “visually send the wrong message”, leading to a decline in tourism and hurting local businesses.
“Businesses reported that their revenue fell by 40% last year. If you want to kill tourism, that’s what you should do. We don’t need to take this kind of action,” Kruja said.
While the motion would end regular flushing, staff would still be allowed to take advantage of traffic control measures.
“Police still have the ability to divert traffic as needed, but there is no benefit in automatically closing the avenue at 4:00 on Friday and Saturday,” Krua said.
Although backed by businesses and the mayor, the motion was not without controversy. Councilor Mike Lowder expressed support for SEVAP on behalf of his constituents.
“It’s amazing how many letters I’ve gotten from residents, non-business owners, who are unhappy when they go to the boulevard every Friday and Saturday night,” Lauder said.
The motion directs the manager to terminate SEVAP “effective immediately,” but consultants are still completing their evaluation of the program. According to the motion language, a draft report will be ready in February.
