Late Friday night in a parking lot on Myrtle Beach’s Ocean Boulevard, a commotion ensued, and police were on the scene almost immediately. Officers pulled up swiftly on bikes and in patrol cars, partly thanks to a northbound lane closure reserved for first responders. It’s part of Myrtle Beach Police Department’s “Summer Emergency Vehicle Access Plan” – a traffic pattern that closes the northbound lane of Ocean Boulevard from 16th Avenue North to 9th Avenue North. Assistant city manager Josh Bruegger says the lane closure allows for a quicker police response time. “When the traffic pattern is set up, our response time is about 30 seconds faster,” Bruegger said. “That may not sound like a lot, but when you’re waiting on police because you need them, 30 seconds is a big deal.” The boulevard is completely closed to traffic from 8th Avenue North to 9th Avenue North. That complete closure is hurting some business owners. Reid Bozell, general manager of 8th Ave. Tiki Bar & Grill, said the traffic pattern costs him between $3,000 to $5,000 a night on the weekends. “It screws up our sales really, really bad,” Bozell said, adding that he has been forced to pivot to booking private parties to try to make up for the lost revenue. “If you’re driving south on Ocean Boulevard, you’re getting turned away at 9th Avenue, so we’re missing all that traffic and now we’re only getting foot traffic.” Myrtle Beach Mayor Brenda Bethune said she doesn’t believe closing the Boulevard from 8th to 9th drastically hampers business, saying she thinks most customers would be on foot. “Personally, I believe that cars driving by are not stopping to go anywhere, they’re cruising,” she said. “The people that stop in to visit the stores on Ocean Boulevard and go eat at restaurants are the ones who are parking and walking around. That’s my perspective on it, that’s what I believe. But I am very open and eager to hear what they have to say about it.”