Tow Truck Patrol
A contingent of 24 white tow trucks took to the streets Monday, bringing the Freeway Service Patrol fleet to a total of 60 throughout the county. The program began July 1 with 36 trucks offering free assistance to stranded motorists during weekday rush hours. The blue-uniformed drivers patrol nearly 130 miles of freeway and perform tire changes, supply emergency gas, make minor repairs and tow disabled vehicles.
The $12-million-a-year program is funded by a half-cent sales tax increase approved by the voters last November and is a joint effort of the Los Angeles County Transportation Commission, Caltrans and the California Highway Patrol. The goal of the program is to reduce overall freeway delays by 15% and eliminate up to 29,000 vehicle-hours of congestion a day.
In the program’s first 21 days, the trucks assisted 5,017 people, with 77% of the rescues accomplished in 10 minutes or less, according to county officials. On Sept. 9, 28 more trucks will be added, with another 16 due in July, 1992. At that time, the tow trucks will be patrolling more than 250 miles of freeway.
Source: L.A. County Transportation Commission
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