Federal judge considers South Carolina traffic control plan

GREENVILLE (AP) A federal judge says he needs more time to decide whether a traffic control plan for motorcyclists on the South Carolina coast is legal.

U.S. District Judge Marvin Quattlebaum heard arguments May 8 in Greenville as the NAACP challenged plans to continue using a 23-mile (37-kilometer) loop to control traffic during the Atlantic Beach Bikefest later this month.

The civil rights organization has sued Myrtle Beach over the loop that’s been used since 2015. The loop was used to control traffic after several people were killed and others were wounded during the 2014 Bikefest.

The NAACP says the traffic loop is discriminatory. They note it’s used during the Atlantic Beach Bikefest, primarily attended by black motorcycle riders, but not during the Harley Week, where more white bikers take part.