LOS ANGELES : Caltrans Will Help Pay for Freeway Service Patrol
A new state law that encourages the creation of free roadside assistance and towing services in cities throughout California comes with a bonus for the area that started it all.
Caltrans will contribute $2.4 million a year to Los Angeles County to help pay for its freeway service patrol.
The law, sponsored by Assemblyman Richard Katz (D-Panorama City) and signed into law last month by Gov. Pete Wilson, sets aside $8.4 million this year for congestion-clearing service patrols in the state’s most crowded counties.
Orange, San Diego and Sacramento counties, as well as urbanized parts of the Bay Area and the Inland Empire, can qualify for state funding of 75% of their freeway patrols if they pay for the remaining 25%.
The year-old freeway service patrol in Los Angeles helps keep traffic moving by providing free gas, tire changes, minor repairs and tows to more than 700 cars a day.
Until now, the Los Angeles program has been entirely funded by a local half-cent sales tax surcharge approved by voters to improve transportation.
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