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[SBB]

I have a good friend named Pete Richmond that sent a letter to Myrtle Beach asking whether there would be a rally this year or in the future.
Pete lives in Madison Ohio and owns a 2005 Screaming Eagle Electra Glide.
He copied me on the letter that he recieved from Myrtle Beach concerning an 09 Rally and future events.
See below.

Pete...

 

Thanks for writing.  I'm going to take the last question first, since it's the easiest.  South Carolina state law says that motorcycle operators and riders under 21 must wear helmets, but it does not say that those over 21 do not have to wear helmets.  The city can implement a regulation requiring motorcyclists 21 and older to wear approved safety helmets.  We've been sued, so the courts will have the final say, but opinions so far are in our favor, especially since a violation will be an administrative infraction, not a misdemeanor.  Beginning in March, not wearing a helmet in the City of Myrtle Beach will earn you a fine, but no risk of jail time.  However, ignoring an administrative infraction citation will be a misdemeanor. 

 

Now, to answer the rest of your questions.  Our residents are overwhelmed by both motorcycle events.  You may not be aware, but these events last for nearly 20 straight days and literally take over the month of May.  The residents and many of the businesses have had their fill of the noise, the dangerous driving, the wrecks and the rest of what goes along with back-to-back motorcycle events.  That we have gotten to this point should surprise no one.  The promoters and many of the attendees have known for years that these events overwhelm us, but they have been unwilling or unable to do anything. 

 

The city and the chamber tried to work with the promoters to keep the rallies (actually two Harley Rallies in one) smaller in size and shorter in duration, but we received no cooperation.  The Carolina Harley Dealers sponsor a spring rally, and for nearly 60 years, it was three days long and drew 45,000 to 50,000 bikers.  Some folks grew tried of the crowd and began to come early.  The local Harley dealer, having broken away from the Association and seeing an opportunity to increase his business, started advertising a second rally on top of the first, with a longer time period.  We told him at the time that it was a mistake and would cause a community backlash.  He was not deterred.  The rallies began to grow, and now we have 250,000 bikers over a 12 to 14 day period.  On top of that, we have a third rally in the week leading up to Memorial Day, which has grown as well.

 

A couple of years ago, Chamber officials met with leaders of both spring Harley rallies.  They warned them that ill will was brewing and asked them to take steps to calm things down.  Corporate Harley-Davidson was present, too, and acknowledged that noise was their number one complaint, nationwide.  The Chamber also was concerned because it appeared that the rallies were actually hurting tourism for the month of May.  Many people do not come to Myrtle Beach in May because they don't want to be caught up in all the motorcycles.  Unfortunately, nothing was done, other than spreading out the vendors, which just seemed to make the rallies grow larger.  This year, our residents finally said, "Enough is enough."  We've had a shooting at the Memorial Day Rally the past two years, and that helped galvanize residents and government leaders to take action.

 

Myrtle Beach is not anti-biker or anti-motorcycle.  We want folks to come on the vehicle of their choice and enjoy all of the things Myrtle Beach has to offer, as long as they do so lawfully.  As for the rallies, we are ending them because they have all grown too large and last too long.  We have received a few hundred e-mails from folks saying they normally come to the rally and come back to visit during the year, spending thousands of dollars.  They say that if they can't come to the rally, then they will never come back and neither will their friends.  They further say that it's the "other guys" who are the problem, so don't pick on us.  However, visitors to the rallies come and go and apparently are unwilling to admit that they, too, are part of the problem.  Visitors to these events have not had to endure three weeks worth of motorcycles, as our residents have. 

 

We typically have as many, if not more, traffic fatalities during three weeks of motorcycle events than we have during the other 49 weeks of the year.  That's not good, and it's only one of the things that aren't good about the rallies.  Would your hometown of Madison welcome back-to-back motorcycle rallies with hundreds of thousands of bikes and people?  How would Madison handle it if the population increased 10-fold for three straight weeks?  How would Madison's police and EMS staff cope with the increased wrecks, injuries and deaths?  What would you do when your neighbors' kids can't sleep at night because of all the noise?  What would the businesses that don't cater to a biker audience do? 

 

We are taking steps to provide relief for our residents and businesses.  You are welcome to come visit on your motorcycle at any time, but the rallies are ending.

 

Thanks,
Mark Kruea

Public Information Officer

City of Myrtle Beach

 

So there it is in a nutshell, no more rallys at M/B.

SBB

[spydglide]

Thanks for posting their view of the situation, Chip.  It helps us understand some of their actions to hear the other side's argument.  What I don't understand at all is why they are imposing the helmet 'administrative infraction' ordinances and the other anti-biker local laws if they are doing away with the rally(s) which seems to be the main 'beef'.  She says to come visit on your bike at any time now that they won't have large rallies, but you'll still be singled out with the add'l. targeted new ordinances......just seems like they are using the shotgun approach 'agin us'.  Bump 'um, I say.  aaaaaargh.  spyder

[hard10]

The other side of this story is that the HD dealership along with the promoter are encouraging people to come and avoid the City of Myrtle Beach. The new rules only apply within the City limits.

I shamelessly stole this from another site:

"Myrtle Beach, SC - Area dealers want bikers to know that although the City of Myrtle Beach, S.C., has passed some laws designed to discourage bikers from attending the 69th Annual Spring Bike Week, May 8-17, the popular event is still on. From Murrells Inlet to Little River, other communities within Myrtle Beach’s home county of Horry are gearing up to welcome bikers.
The majority of the events for Bike Week will take place in Horry County, outside of the Myrtle Beach City limits. Newly-passed Myrtle Beach rules and regulations WILL NOT affect bikers who visit or impact any of those activities and events.
“Many tourists wrongly believe that Myrtle Beach is synonymous with the 60-mile-long ‘Grand Strand’ that is visited by more than 14 million tourists annually,” said Mike Shank, marketing director for an area motorcycle dealership. “In reality, the City of Myrtle Beach is just a small town inside of Horry County. It only has 25,000 residents. To the north, south and west of Myrtle Beach is the much-larger Grand Strand community where there are many restaurants, bars, recreational facilities and accommodations. Horry County has more than 250,000 residents and they are preparing their businesses to welcome bikers.
“Unfortunately, information being sent out by Myrtle Beach and its Chamber of Commerce paints good, law-abiding motorcycle riders with the same broad brush as those who have broken laws in the past. In addition, their misinformation does not accurately portray the views of Horry County residents. The majority of people and businesses look forward to biker tourism and many rely on Bike Week to provide a significant portion of their yearly income.”
The City of Myrtle Beach and the Myrtle Beach Area Chamber of Commerce have initiated an aggressive media campaign that gives the erroneous impression that new laws the city recently passed apply county-wide. However, those laws, which have reportedly been passed to discourage bikers from attending rallies in the area, apply only to the areas within the city limits of Myrtle Beach — not throughout the Grand Strand and Horry County.
“Awareness of the new laws will ensure that bikers who plan to come to the Grand Strand have nothing to worry about,” said Shank. “There will be plenty of activities and places to congregate outside of the city limits and throughout Horry County. It’s unfortunate that the City of Myrtle Beach and the Myrtle Beach Area Chamber of Commerce don’t want biker business in May; but we hope bikers understand that many businesses both within the City and throughout Horry County look forward to bike week during the month of May. As long as you obey the laws and respect our community, you’ll always be welcomed by the citizens of Horry County.”
For the facts, Shank directs bikers to www.mbbikeweeks.com. At that site, bikers can find information about the difference between Horry County and the City of Myrtle Beach, including maps, alternative routes that avoid the city limits, the new City of Myrtle Beach laws, and regular updates. “We want bikers to know the facts so they can make an informed decision about visiting our area,” adds Shank. “Grand Strand businesses want your business. The City of Myrtle Beach has never played a significant role in either the spring or fall bike weeks and has made it clear for many years that it doesn’t want to play a role. They’ve raised taxes to eliminate biker tourism, but no other municipality in Horry County has done so. And the City of Myrtle Beach passed new ordinances designed to scare bikers away. No other local municipality or the county has done so. So we hope that bikers won’t be discouraged by this campaign of misinformation. We want you to come to Horry County and have a great time this May.” "

I think what MB has done will only hurt them in the long run. The backlash will last in the minds of bikers for a very long time.