March 30, 2005, 6:28AM Mayor: Towing reduced collisions White releases data on the eve of a House vote on legislation to kill Safe Clear By LUCAS WALL Copyright 2005 Houston Chronicle RESOURCES Houston's Safe Clear program requires disabled vehicles on Houston's freeways to be towed. • Rules of the road: With the integration of Safe Clear and MAP, here's what to expect if you break down on a Houston freeway. • City of Houston: Motorists' bill of rights • AAA: Frequently asked questions Collisions on Houston freeways dropped 12 percent in the first two months of this year compared with the same period in 2003 and 2004, Mayor Bill White said Tuesday, attributing the improvement to a mandatory towing law that took effect Jan. 1. The numbers were released on the eve of a vote scheduled today in the Texas House of Representatives on a bill that would quash the Safe Clear towing program by prohibiting the city from awarding wrecker companies exclusive contracts for towing on state highways. RESOURCES Graphic: Freeway Collisions "These statistics are good ammunition against towing-company lobbyists who are working the halls of the Legislature," White said. "Members can know the success we have had here." Many small wrecker companies that didn't win Safe Clear contracts are pushing lawmakers to kill the program. They've complained the inability to work on the freeways is costing them their livelihood. They also object to the ordinance's prohibition against stranded drivers' calling for help from a wrecker of their choice or an auto club. "People don't want to be forcefully towed," said Suzanne Poole, president of the Houston Professional Towing Association, which represents many small operators. "They want the ability to choose their towing provider." The mayor, however, said the numbers offer the first proof that the city is achieving its goals of improving highway safety and reducing traffic congestion caused by crashes and stalled vehicles. Houston police and Metro transit police reported working 2,177 freeway crashes in the city during January and February of this year, down from 2,489 in the first two months of 2003 and 2,469 last year. These statistics, presented at a City Hall news conference Tuesday morning, show crashes down on nine of 13 freeways examined. "This is one of the most cost-effective programs we've ever instituted in city government to move traffic along and to improve the safety of Houstonians," White said. Rep. Robert Talton, sponsor of the bill to send Safe Clear to the scrap yard, said he thinks White released the numbers to "dampen the effect of the bill." But Talton, R-Pasadena, said he is not swayed. "It appears the initial numbers look good, but what bothers me is the exclusive rights and creation of monopolies," said Talton. "It still has its problems. I'm not sure the program can pay for itself." Under Safe Clear, 11 towing companies collectively pay the city about $1 million a year for exclusive rights to serve sections of freeways within the city limits. Talton says that amounts to the city leasing portions of state highways, and he fears that other Texas cities will create similar programs. Dallas and Fort Worth officials are monitoring Safe Clear as they contemplate changes to their towing laws. If the bill passes the House, it could end up on the side of the road in the Senate. White struck a deal last month with Sen. John Whitmire, D-Houston, to keep Whitmire's Safe Clear repeal bill from debate. White agreed to changes including the addition of 10 Metro officers to the Motorist Assistance Program, which helps stranded drivers without automatically requiring a tow. At Tuesday's event, White also touted statistics showing rapid response time to wrecks and stalled vehicles, as well as a decrease in the time it takes to clear such incidents. An analysis of the program's first eight weeks by Tim Lomax of the Texas Transportation Institute and Bob Stein of Rice University shows 74 percent of reported incidents were cleared within 20 minutes, and clearance times have decreased each week. Initial studies of travel speeds are not complete. Lomax said there might only be a small increase in overall speeds, but Safe Clear makes a difference in specific situations in which traffic is snarled because of a wreck or disabled vehicle. That will be more difficult to measure, however. White said he often hears from drivers happy their travel times have gone down. Not all those moving along the freeways buy into Safe Clear's success, however. "I do not know where White gets his info," said Steve Montes of Houston, who e-mailed the Houston Chronicle about his experiences on the city's freeways. "But I, for one, have not seen any improvement." Houston Police Chief Harold Hurtt said he is getting inquiries from other cities interested in starting their own towing programs. "We are reducing the amount of damage done to property — vehicles traveling on the freeways — but we are also reducing injuries and deaths," Hurtt said. The mayor's office did not release data on injuries and fatalities to support that statement, saying it wants to analyze them after a longer period. The trends are positive, though, White said. Since Jan. 1, nearly 13,000 vehicles have been towed under Safe Clear, according to the Mayor's Office of Mobility. http://www.chron.com/cs/CDA/ssistory.mpl/metropolitan/3108716 I like safe clear. I can tell it's working. Keep it going!
I feel a bit conflicted about Safe Clear. Mandatory tows don't sit too well with me. But, I really don't appreciate this tactic of running to the state legislature every time the opposing faction loses to Bill White. It's our city, let us govern it how we see fit.
I know. But it puts an emphais on getting gtraffic moving. I like that. Maybe it could only be enforced during traffic times 6-10am, 4-8pm. These people are only comlaining about money, not the towing itself.
\ It is always about the money The biggest problems is 9 times out of10 THEIR PEOPLE are not getting the money Rocket River
