Murrells Inlet group still fights for new traffic light

On the south end of the strand some people keep up the fight for a traffic light. They want the light at the intersection of 17 bypass and Pendergrass Avenue in Murrells Inlet.

In January this year, Gloria Perry of Murrells Inlet was driving down that section of the road when her daughter Monique Blythe said her mother’s life was ended too soon after she was hit and killed by another vehicle.

“My kids will never see her, I mean my daughter is going to be two years old and they’ll never get to know her you know because of this,“ said Blythe.

That intersection is why a group of concerned residents and business owners including Blythe came together. The group says that section of road is just too dangerous to drive through.

They petitioned to the South Carolina Department of Transportation, who responded by putting up a blinking caution light.

Residents however told News 13 that flashing light isn’t enough to stop accidents from happening adding that a real solution to that is actually putting a stop light.

“We pay our taxes just like everybody else does so we should have the safety to come out of our community just like others have had,“ said Melody Owens who’s led the effort for the past 5 months.

“The blinking light they got here is useless nobody slows down that don’t stop people,“ said resident Earl Fisher.

News 13 contacted DOT’s district engineering administrator, Dennis Townsend who said that they cannot put up a stop light because the intersection does not meet requirements such as having a certain amount of traffic flowing through.

Townsend added that the blinking light has only been there for a few months and the department is testing it to see if it works to make drivers more cautious.

“I will never give up until that light is hanging up there instead of those blinkers,” said Owens.   

“I drive through this intersection and I have to be reminded every single day about my mother, a light has to go up there,“ said Blythe.