By Brittany Anderson
KYLE — Stop signs are being removed along Veterans Drive at the intersection of Silverado Drive on Aug. 31.
At a Kyle City Council meeting on July 19, city engineer Leon Barba explained that the stop signs were initially put in place as part of a temporary traffic control measure for ongoing construction of the Burleson Street project, since several detours were created in order to work on the road.
Since the project’s completion, however, the council had to decide whether to keep or remove the signs since they were only meant to be temporary. Barba noted that the Veterans Drive signs will be removed, but the Silverado sign will remain in place.
The council voted 4-3 on its first reading to remove the signs during the July 19 meeting; council members Michael Tobias, Yvonne Flores-Cale and Dex Ellison were the opposing votes. Tobias and Flores-Cale noted various safety concerns with removing the signs, while Mayor Travis Mitchell pointed out that the signs actually hindered traffic in the area.
“From an engineering standpoint, it probably doesn’t warrant the north-south stop signs at this point, but I understand the council member’s other points that if traffic is stopped, you’re not going to get killed,” Barba said.
The item was brought back for a second reading during the Aug. 2 council meeting but still passed 4-2 to remove the signs, with Flores-Cale and Tobias again being the opposing votes. Ellison was not present.
Some residents have spoken out against this decision to remove the signs, saying that they have helped prevent accidents by controlling the traffic flow and driver’s speed. A change.org petition has even been started to keep the all-way stop and has been signed by nearly 100 residents.
With the council's ruling, the city is still planning to go forth with removing the signs. Drivers are being asked to use caution when driving in the area during this transition.
