Tow on the Town : Free Service for Disabled Vehicles Is Aimed at Unclogging Freeways

A fleet of 36 specially marked tow trucks took to Los Angeles County’s freeway system on Monday, offering free assistance to stranded motorists under a new program that officials say could reduce rush-hour congestion by as much as 15%.

Called the “Freeway Service Patrol,” the joint effort by the Los Angeles County Transportation Commission, Caltrans and the California Highway Patrol aims to respond to incidents within 10 minutes.

The tow trucks will patrol 71 miles of freeway each weekday from 6 to 10 a.m. and from 3 to 7 p.m. By September, the service will be expanded to cover 203 miles of freeway throughout the county, transportation officials said.

“When the freeway patrol service is in place, we will have three tow trucks for every eight miles of freeway,” said Neil Peterson, the Transportation Commission’s executive director, at a ceremony marking the beginning of the service. “That means trucks will be able to respond to incidents within 10 minutes, thereby reducing overall freeway delays by 15% and eliminating up to 29,000 (vehicle hours) of congestion a day.”

Mayor Tom Bradley said that the $9-million-a-year program, utilizing contracts with private tow companies, is the first expenditure of funds obtained from Proposition C.

Los Angeles County voters in November narrowly approved the measure, which hiked sales taxes by half a cent to help develop a five-county rail transit system, build busways and widen freeways.

“For 20 years we’ve talked about a freeway patrol so that tow trucks could quickly remove automobiles and trucks from the freeway and thus avoid the congestion that occurs,” Bradley said. “We now have the funds to makes this possible.”

A few minutes later, six of the CHP-certified white tow trucks roared off in search of accidents and disabled vehicles, which transportation experts say are responsible for 50% of freeway congestion and gridlock.

In their first four hours on patrol, the trucks responded to 125 incidents in which commuters needed gasoline, help changing a flat tire or help in getting their cars off the freeway, said Michael Bustamante, a spokesman for the commission.

In cases where more extensive assistance is required, tow truck operators are told to take disabled vehicles to a public place with a telephone, where motorists can arrange for additional service. They cannot, however, take motorists to a gas station or a garage.

Among the first beneficiaries was Paula Glosson, 22, of Los Angeles, whose black Cougar “just started slowing down” on the northbound San Diego Freeway and stopped on the shoulder near Imperial Highway.

“I thought I was going to be out here for a couple of hours all by myself,” Glosson said.

Instead, she only had to wait a few minutes before tow truck driver William Qoul arrived to make his third rescue of the day under the program.

“The first question I asked was, ‘How much is this going to cost?’ ” Glosson said. “He said, ‘It’s free.’ This is really wonderful!”

On his second call, however, Qoul ran into a potential problem involving an especially grateful motorist. Under “Freeway Service Patrol” guidelines, tow truck drivers are forbidden to accept tips or gifts of any kind for their service.

“This guy tried to tip me $10,” said Qoul, 29. “I said, ‘No tip, man. No nothing.’ ”

Turning down the tip was a wise decision, according to California Highway Patrol Officer Andy Hernandez, one of several supervisors assigned to the program.

“Our role is to make sure drivers aren’t accepting tips, and to investigate complaints of rudeness and possible damage to people’s vehicles,” Hernandez said. “We’ll have some officers pretending to be stranded in roadside sting operations designed to keep the tow truck drivers honest.”

Penalties for ignoring the rules could include dismissal from the program, Hernandez said.

The program began on sections of the San Diego Freeway between Mulholland Drive and Normandie Avenue; the 110 freeway between Avenue 43 and Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd.; the 101 freeway between Reseda Boulevard and Vineland Avenue, and from Vermont Boulevard to the East Los Angeles Interchange; Interstate 5 from Stadium Way to Garfield Avenue; and Interstate 10 from Vermont Avenue to Santa Anita Avenue.

Tow Truck Patrol

Under a new program , approved white tow trucks displaying the “Freeway Service Patrol” insignia have begun to patrol county freeways to assist stranded motorists and reduce traffic backups.

WHEN: Weekday rush hours, 6 to 10 a.m and 3 to 7 p.m.

COST: Free of charge to motorists. The $9-million program is funded by Proposition C’s half-cent sales tax increase approved by voters last November.

SERVICES: Blue-uniformed tow truck drivers will perform tire changes, supply emergency gas, make minor repairs and tow disabled vehicles to one of hundreds of pre-selected public areas. From there, motorists can arrange by phone further towing or repairs. Tow truck operators are not permitted to tow disabled vehicles to gas stations or garages.

STAGE A: About 36 tow trucks are now patrolling 71 miles of freeway in Los Angeles County including portions of the Harbor (110), Hollywood (101), Pomona (60), Santa Monica (10), Golden State (5), and San Diego (405) freeways.

STAGE B: On Aug. 5, another 24 trucks will cover 58 more miles, adding part of the Riverside (91), Foothill (210) and San Gabriel River (605) freeways.

STAGE C: On Sept. 9, 28 more trucks will cover 74 additional miles including stretches of the Orange (57), Ventura (134), Long Beach (710) freeways.

SOURCE: L.A. County Transportation Commission, Caltrans, California Highway Patrol

Compiled by Times researcher Michael Meyers