from MyrtleBeachOnline.com
Myrtle Beach passes laws to curb biker rallies
The Associated Press
MYRTLE BEACH, S.C.
Myrtle Beach passed 15 ordinances Tuesday to crack down on a 70-year tradition of motorcycle rallies in the city, but some attorneys warned the new laws may not survive legal challenges.
The Sun News of Myrtle Beach reports that city council unanimously passed nearly all the ordinances, which include rules requiring motorcycle riders to wear helmets, restricting where bikers can park and strengthening loitering rules.
Lawyers representing Harley-Davidson of Myrtle Beach and businesses that cater to bikers suggested some of the laws are illegal, but city attorney Tom Ellenburg told them to “save those arguments for the judge” and councilman Wayne Gray said the city is ready to face any legal challenge.
The helmet law may get the toughest challenge. State law doesn’t require helmets for riders 21 and over.
The city decided to get rid of the rallies after years of complaints from residents about noise, lewd behavior and congestion, and council raised property taxes earlier this year to help pay for the effort. So far, none of the surrounding governments have followed suit.
The Harley-Davidson rally has been a fixture in Myrtle Beach for nearly seven decades and attracts mostly white riders. The Atlantic Beach Bikefest during Memorial Day weekend is a much newer event. It lasts four to five days, caters to black bikers and doesn’t have the same kind of organization as the Harley rally.
Officials estimate the two rallies bring more than 500,000 people to the Grand Strand every year.
September 25th, 2008 at 1:33 pm
This has been common for a lot of rallies the past few years. Residents complain about the bikers so they chase them away with all sorts of laws and ordinances. Once they figure out how much money goes away with the bikers, they spend the next few years trying to figure out how to get them to come back.
September 25th, 2008 at 8:47 pm
The way I see it is screw Myrtle Beach. If they don’t want bikers, don’t sue them into accepting.
Ask the small communities up the road from there if they want all of our money. Then go there and let Myrtle Beach businesses suffer.
September 27th, 2008 at 4:04 am
I’m not convinced that these towns are going to go broke after chasing the bikers away. Certainly, they will lose receipts from doing so, but they’ll also save money in law enforcement and sanitation. It’s probably going to be a wash.
November 7th, 2008 at 4:03 pm
I’m a middle school student in South Carolina Virtual Charter SWchool and am writing an argument on Why We Need the Haarley Bike Week. I have found the comments and information very worthwhile in helping compose my essay. I am in favor of Bike Week. I love seeing the bikes, people, and knowing that tourism dollars will increase with the bike rally itself and the possibility that the bikers will speak favorably of the area and more will comel Call me Crazy, but I see no harm and I live here!