Freeway Patrol to the Rescue : Highways: The new service helps stranded drivers deal with burst water hoses, collapsed fuel pumps, stalled engines and flat tires. What’s more, it’s free.

It was 102 degrees in the shade when Tony Garcia started roaming up and down a four-mile stretch of the Antelope Valley Freeway, looking for trouble. He didn’t have any problem finding it.

The Wednesday afternoon rush hour was well under way, and water hoses were bursting, fuel pumps were collapsing, engines were stalling and tires were going flat.

For almost four straight hours, Garcia, 31, one of the private tow truck drivers contracted to participate in the Freeway Service Patrol, a joint local and state program designed to help stranded motorists on busy freeways, was working nonstop.

“I serviced seven cars, and my partner serviced five,” Garcia said. “It was the busiest day I can remember. People were sure happy to see us, especially when they found out the service was free.”

Officials said commuters who have car trouble have indeed been happy since the implementation more than two months ago of the $9-million program, which is sponsored by the Los Angeles County Transportation Commission, Caltrans and the California Highway Patrol.

The Freeway Service Patrol, which covers 203 miles of freeway with 88 specially marked trucks, expanded recently into the Santa Clarita area off the Antelope Valley Freeway. The patrol had previously covered parts of the San Diego, Hollywood, Harbor, Santa Monica, Pomona and Golden State freeways.

Uniformed tow truck drivers, with trucks displaying the Freeway Service Patrol insignia, will make minor repairs, change flat tires, supply one gallon of gasoline or tow disabled vehicles to a designated public area that has a telephone.

State and county officials said the program has more than met its goals of assisting motorists while reducing traffic congestion by moving troubled cars off the freeways. Since the start of the program on July 1, more than 20,000 motorists have been helped by the patrol, more than 2 1/2 times the number anticipated, they said.

“We’ve been able to cut the response time of tow vehicles from 24 minutes to 7 minutes” in the greater Los Angeles area, said Michael Bustamante, a spokesman for the county Transportation Commission. “That has had a significant impact as far as traffic congestion. Most responses have been under five minutes. We’ve gotten letters from commuters who said the trucks were right there even before they could get out of their cars.”

The patrollers locate troubled motorists in their continuous searches, or by being dispatched by operators who have been contacted by drivers from call boxes.

Transportation experts have said that accidents and disabled vehicles account for 50% of freeway congestion and gridlock. The trucks patrol freeways weekdays between 6 and 10 a.m. and again from 3 to 7 p.m.

The program is being paid for with funds obtained from Proposition C, which increased the sales tax by half a cent to help reduce traffic congestion by a variety of means.

CHP officials said it is too early to tell the impact of the program on the Santa Clarita Valley area. The patrol has been very busy on some days, but has searched in vain for troubled vehicles on other days.

“It really varies,” said Officer Andy Hernandez, one of the CHP officials who oversee the program. “On the first day out there, it was really, really busy. Then it quieted down gradually. But people still seem to be happy that we’re out there.”

One of the people expressing appreciation for the patrol Wednesday was Fred Olbrych, 76, of Echo Park. Olbrych, his wife, Lisa, and his 2-year-old daughter, Anna, were on their way home from a fishing trip near Palmdale when the water hose on their van burst on the Antelope Valley Freeway.

Olbrych got out of the van and watched helplessly as steam seeped from the hood. But within minutes, Garcia showed up and offered to tow the van off the freeway.

“I had no idea what I was going to do,” said Olbrych as he watched Garcia hook up the van. “My wife had heard of this, but she thought it was in another part of L.A. I’m sure glad it’s out here. We would have been in big trouble otherwise.”

Another motorist happy to see the patrol was Lisa Diaz, 26, of Lancaster. Diaz said she felt panicked when her tire went flat on her way to pick up her son from school. A motorist who spotted her going off the road tried to change her tire, but could not remove all of the lug nuts. Garcia soon arrived on the scene to offer his help.

“This is a real godsend, because I’m really in a hurry to pick up my son,” Diaz said. “I didn’t have any time to spare.”

The most surprising thing to motorists is that the service is free, said CHP Officer Donna Urkuidi, who also oversees the program.

“People don’t really believe it,” Urkuidi said. “They want to pay the driver or tip them. They get real excited when they find out there’s no money involved.”

Garcia said comparable service to stranded motorists could cost around $45.

“When motorists first see us, they’re rather timid,” he said. “But when you say, ‘Freeway Service Patrol,’ they smile. They know they’ve got a friend.”