South Carolina

Myrtle Beach Passes Motorcycle No Longer Hosts Motorcycle Rallies (Article Amended)

The Myrtle Beach City Council approved legislation banning motorcycle rallies. Effective, 2009, Myrtle Beach is no longer the location for two long-running motorcycle events. Affected residents lobbied the City Council to ban the rallies because of the noise, traffic congestion and unruly behavior. According to the Mayor of Myrtle Beach, John Rhodes, the motorcycle rallies also drove away visitors.

• City of Myrtle Beach - New Ordinances
• City of Myrtle Beach - New Rules & Ordinances

Myrtle Beach Considers Bike Rally Restrictions

Myrtle Beach City Council members are determining whether to enact stricter rules to reduce the effect of motorcycle rallies on residents. The police said it was difficult to enforce the noise law because it is subjective - less than 10 noise violations were issued during the 2005 Harley-Davidson rally.

Elected officials said the council must listen to the residents who made the rallies' noise problems a major issue in the campaign. The city may consider other options, including banning the Carolina Harley-Davidson Dealers' Association from renting the convention center or eliminating vendor permits.

Close to 300,000 participants attended that resulted in 3,996 calls for service to the police and fire departments. There were 1,294 tickets issued, 853 people arrested, 120 motorcycle wrecks reported, and 5 people killed in fatalities from motorcycle accidents.