I won't pretend to be COMPLETELY in the know on all things "politics" in this area; but it doesn't take a rocket scientist to realize that many people were unhappy with the "status quo" for bike rallies before, and many folks are VERY unhappy with local laws trying to curb these rallies, as well. There HAS to be a way to make MOST, if not all, folks happy, right?
First off, the helmet law, it's said, was the LEAST popular new ordinance passed by the city of Myrtle Beach. Alright, there's no middle ground here, I say. Grow up; wear a helmet. Riding a hog - with no airbags or roll bars, doors, etc., is "bad @ss" enough, okay? Besides, I saw MANY riders donning them, embracing them, and they're minimally intrusive (using the old kaiser design) and can also be a display owhen personalized.
But wow, all in all, did the city make their stance miserable for EVERYBODY, or what? The real "losers" in all this were the hourly employees at establishments normally benefitting from the rallies. Oh, and those of us stuck in needless "checkpoints" both weekends.
This solves nothing; it doesn't rid the 'area" of the rallies, and in fact, only further irritates locals.
There HAS to be some middle ground, and I'm REALLY ticked off that nobody (from either side, frankly) worked to find it. "What do you mean, Ron" you ask?
I mean, why can't the city, the Chamber of Commerce, the rally ogranizers work together to solve problems that arise from these rallies? Many locals hate a near MONTH of bike rallies, and as a resident, I can understand that. Why not move the dates a little? Why not move the Harley rally up to early May or late April, and the Bikefest unto the weekend after July 4th, or into August? The locals win because the onslaught is broken up and seperated by a few months of "normalcy." The rally organizers, businesses and bikers win because they get to keep what they had all along.
Having the rallies in the area is a BONUS for tourism, so running 'em off isn't the answer; working TOGETHER to organize the date(s), the events, maybe even passing a "residential buffer" ordinance where no more than 2 bikes can be riding in tandem within residential areas would work. Maybe instead of "checkpoint" enforcement of a noise ordinance, you instead encourage citizens to report noise violations through a hotline? I have a hard time believing we live in a world with stoplight cameras but no such intersection camera/recording technology that would enable a recording device to be "triggered" by a decibel level that would record the tag of the vehicle. Send 'em a ticket in the mail and see if they put a muffler on next visit. But don't limit it SOLELY to bikers. There are many hot-rods, low-riding trucks, etc., that violate a noise ordinance, as well, right?
The Grand Strand NEEDS these rallies - maybe not back-to-back, and maybe not to the detriment of what SHOULD be a VERY busy Memorial Day weekend in a beach tourist mecca - but the area DOES need them here. Just waving a wand and banishing them through laws and gistapo-like enforcement won't "wish" them away. It'll just cause the city to lose businesses, lose residents, and lose appeal to the thousands that enjoy coming here for those rallies and the OTHER weekends they visit, as well.
Can we not work together to make this happen?
First off, the helmet law, it's said, was the LEAST popular new ordinance passed by the city of Myrtle Beach. Alright, there's no middle ground here, I say. Grow up; wear a helmet. Riding a hog - with no airbags or roll bars, doors, etc., is "bad @ss" enough, okay? Besides, I saw MANY riders donning them, embracing them, and they're minimally intrusive (using the old kaiser design) and can also be a display owhen personalized.
But wow, all in all, did the city make their stance miserable for EVERYBODY, or what? The real "losers" in all this were the hourly employees at establishments normally benefitting from the rallies. Oh, and those of us stuck in needless "checkpoints" both weekends.
This solves nothing; it doesn't rid the 'area" of the rallies, and in fact, only further irritates locals.
There HAS to be some middle ground, and I'm REALLY ticked off that nobody (from either side, frankly) worked to find it. "What do you mean, Ron" you ask?
I mean, why can't the city, the Chamber of Commerce, the rally ogranizers work together to solve problems that arise from these rallies? Many locals hate a near MONTH of bike rallies, and as a resident, I can understand that. Why not move the dates a little? Why not move the Harley rally up to early May or late April, and the Bikefest unto the weekend after July 4th, or into August? The locals win because the onslaught is broken up and seperated by a few months of "normalcy." The rally organizers, businesses and bikers win because they get to keep what they had all along.
Having the rallies in the area is a BONUS for tourism, so running 'em off isn't the answer; working TOGETHER to organize the date(s), the events, maybe even passing a "residential buffer" ordinance where no more than 2 bikes can be riding in tandem within residential areas would work. Maybe instead of "checkpoint" enforcement of a noise ordinance, you instead encourage citizens to report noise violations through a hotline? I have a hard time believing we live in a world with stoplight cameras but no such intersection camera/recording technology that would enable a recording device to be "triggered" by a decibel level that would record the tag of the vehicle. Send 'em a ticket in the mail and see if they put a muffler on next visit. But don't limit it SOLELY to bikers. There are many hot-rods, low-riding trucks, etc., that violate a noise ordinance, as well, right?
The Grand Strand NEEDS these rallies - maybe not back-to-back, and maybe not to the detriment of what SHOULD be a VERY busy Memorial Day weekend in a beach tourist mecca - but the area DOES need them here. Just waving a wand and banishing them through laws and gistapo-like enforcement won't "wish" them away. It'll just cause the city to lose businesses, lose residents, and lose appeal to the thousands that enjoy coming here for those rallies and the OTHER weekends they visit, as well.
Can we not work together to make this happen?
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