Graffiti covered traffic signs

 

JANUARY 4, 2005 –

Graffiti covered traffic signs and a near miss at a Mission area intersection prompted KGBT viewer Jesus Prado to call the Action 4 News Listens Line for help.

The Alamo native says the crossing at 6 mile line and Bryan Road is an accident waiting to happen because a sign warning of the upcoming traffic stop was painted over by vandals.

"(It's about) safety. At my company, I work at a drilling company and we push safety very strongly and not only at my company but everywhere we go. It's a culture we've been cultivating over the years and that's why I decided to stop, because of that."

Prado says he reported the problem of graffiti covered street signs to a 911 dispatcher the night of his near miss and since then some action has been taken.

But more needs to be done and this isn't the only area he's seen with graffiti on traffic signs.

An area near a canal off of Glasscock in Palmhurst is a similar ugly sight to him and other residents like Dagoberto Ramirez.

"Since I've been here, since '97, we've seen two or three people fall in that canal and I think it's because those signs are taken down," says Ramirez.

He says he's tired of vandals defacing the signs,too, and wants them stopped. But since their newly approved police department in Palmhurst is not up and running they've had to rely on Hidalgo County for help.

"And this is not a priority for them. We'll call them and we say hey something's been sprayed... and that's not gonna be a priority for them."

But Ramirez says has a warning for the vandals: the town is not going to be taken over by taggers.

"We're gonna have a full-time police force and we're gonna make sure you respect our property."

Meanwhile, Prado plans to demand action from the county traffic department but for now he believes parents of the young taggers need to do their part as well.

"You see if we teach our kids to behave in the streets our authorities wouldn't have to be put in those situations. They would only have to put up the signs and not worry about it."

Action 4 News tried reaching Precinct 3 Commissioner Joe Flores for comment about the situation but his office is closed in observance of the New Year's Day holiday.

Meanwhile, a Texas Department of Transportation official we spoke with says the problem is not exclusive to the county, it's also a constant problem along Expressway 281.

TX Dot says anyone caught defacing traffic signs could face fines up to 20 thousand dollars or even jail time.