New Traffic Response Vehicles working to clear congestion in Mount Pleasant

MOUNT PLEASANT, S.C. (WCBD)- The Town of Mount Pleasant is introducing a new tool to bring relief to drivers on the roadways.

Bumper-to-bumper traffic is a scene Mount Pleasant drivers know all too well.

“Traffic is a big thing in Mount Pleasant, especially over the last couple of years,” Mount Pleasant Police Department Community Service Officer, William McMullen said.

About a year ago, the town conducted a traffic study to pinpoint where and why the bottlenecks were happening.

“One of the things we learned in this study is there is a 4 to 6 time multiplier so every minute traffic is stalled, it takes 4 to 6 minutes to correct it,” Mount Pleasant mayor, Will Haynie said.

A big culprit of the backups is disabled cars in the roadways.

“We’ve been seeing a lot more collisions on the roadways, a lot more disabled vehicles, stuff where the roadways are blocked, and don’t necessarily need to be blocked,” McMullen said.

However, coming to the rescue, are the town’s new Traffic Response Vehicles, or TRV’s.

“Its whole purpose is to clear the roadways quicker, whether that’s being able to push the vehicles out of the roadway, change tires, get gas to vehicles that may have run out of gas,” McMullen said.

McMullen is one of the drivers and says the vehicle is equipped with an array of different tools like tow straps, car jacks, gas, and a push bumper.

McMullen says there’s a great sense of reward when they’re able to help someone in a tough spot, “When we’re able to go out there and get them out of the road or get them somewhere safely where they can call for a tow truck, best case get them on their way entirely, that’s always a great feeling.”

The town is also trying to have some fun with the new equipment and it’s something you can get involved in.

The mayor says he wants to name the TRV’s and he’s open to suggestions.

“When our media partners and all put out there that there’s an accident, it sounds better if there’s a name like Dolly or Fred or whatever we name it is on the scene and direction traffic and putting up the safety sign as opposed to mount pleasant community service officers are on the scene, let’s give it a name. This represents our community and keeps our people safe.”

Haynie says to be looking out for a poll on their social media pages and website here soon so you can participate in naming the new Traffic Response Vehicles.