Devine City Council votes to add speed bumps, stop signs to Coker Ave.

New speed bumps and stop signs are coming to Coker Ave.
Ricardo Vela, Jr. resides on N. Sayers Dr., which intersects with Coker Ave., and first asked the Devine City Council to add stop signs and speed bumps on the street at the Regular meeting on Oct.17. In addition to describing the unsafe speeds at which motorists frequently drive down the road, Vela presented Council with a petition from neighbors who supported his request, and also provided a map of where he believed the stop signs and speed bumps should be located. Action was postponed pending a speed study by the Devine Police Department.
Officers observed Coker Ave. from different locates along the street for 18.5 hours between Oct. 18 and Oct. 31. During that time, 728 vehicles traversed the road, 12 were stopped, and seven were cited for speeding.
In her report to Interim City Administrator Dora Rodriguez, Police Chief Kandy Benavides recommended that evenly-spaced speed bumps be placed down the length of Coker Ave.
“This is definitely a must due to the structure of the road, motorist[s] traveling from Windy Knoll Dr. would not have enough time to slow down for the stop sign if not for the speed bumps,” Benavides wrote.
Public Works Superintendent Rob Flores echoed that recommendation, and Rodriguez said that she, Flores, City Accountant Denise Duffy, Code Compliance officer Eddie Diaz, and Lt. Chris Andrews walked the length of Coker Ave. to make their own observations.
Flores recommended placing three stop signs each at the intersections of Coker and Lee Dr. and Coker and Jefferson Dr., two stop signs at the Libold Dr. and Coker intersection, and speed bumps on Coker halfway between N. Windy Knoll Dr. and Lee Dr. and east of the Washington Dr. intersection.
“I think this is phenomenal,” Vela said. “This is more than I was requesting…this is phenomenal to make this road that much safer.”
Per Vela’s suggestion, another set of speed bumps will be added at some point between the intersection of Libold and Coker and the intersection of Coker and Hwy. 132
A Kathy Wilkins-David Espinosa motion to approve the speed bumps and stops signs for Coker and amend the budget passed 4-0.
Councilmen Steve Lopez and David Espinosa were also in attendance, while Councilman Cory Thompson was absent.
Council also discussed Benavides’s recommendation to close a dirt spur off Onion Ave. that intersects with Coker Ave.
“It is not maintained by the City and I feel it is only used as a shortcut,” Benavides wrote.
Rodriguez said there are policies in place for closing roads, and that the City will approach the nearest homeowner to see if they want to purchase the property to increase their yard space.
December Council meeting
As is customary, Council voted to cancel the Regular meeting scheduled for Dec. 19. If necessary, a Special meeting can be called.
Other items
Council met in Executive Session regarding the vacant Animal Control position but took no action in open session. Additionally, Council reviewed a recommendation from the Planning and Zoning Board to reclassify zoning on Hwy. 173 from Class A to Class G.
By Marly Davis
Staff Writer