ANNUAL REPORT

MTC Annual Report 2000

On I-280, a tow truck removes a dozen two-by-fours scattered across the roadway, warding off what could have been a mile-long traffic jam. Else-where, a truck rescues a motorist whose car has stalled in the fast lane. And at the call box answering center, a dispatcher fields a call from a senior citizen who just ran out of gas. It's all in a day's work for the Freeway Service Patrol and the call box network, two interrelated systems for keeping motorists safe and untangling freeways, operated by the Service Authority for Freeways and Expressways.

In the Bay Area, increasing levels of congestion have made the FSP more important than ever in improving the efficiency of the region's transportation network. The FSP moves motorists with car trouble out of traffic lanes, removes hazardous debris and quickly clears accidents. An October 2000 evaluation conducted by the Institute of Transportation Studies at the University of California, Berkeley, found that the Bay Area FSP program yielded an impressive cost/benefit ratio: For every tax dollar spent to provide the FSP service, the public saves $12 in fuel and delay costs. At an annual operating cost of approximately $5 million, the FSP is providing a savings of $60 million per year to the region's motorists.

Starting in July 2001, the FSP will add another 41 miles to the 362 miles it already patrols in the region, filling in gaps in current service areas. The new mileage affects Interstate 580 in Alameda County from Pleasanton almost to the San Joaquin County border, and, in San Mateo County, State Route 92 from Half Moon Bay to Interstate 280 and I-280 from SR 92 to Interstate 380.

In 2002, another 10-mile portion of SR 92--between I-280 and Highway 101--will be added to the San Mateo County coverage.

The FSP also will inaugurate temporary night-time service in the summer of 2001 on one 25-mile stretch of Interstate 880 between Oakland and Fremont that already has commute-hour coverage. The 10 p.m. to 6 a.m. patrols will help reduce traffic problems expected to be caused by a major pavement resurfacing project being launched by Caltrans. And in a reverse move, day-time hours will be added to Interstate 80 between Vallejo and Fairfield in Solano County where only Friday night and Sunday night service exists at present.

Call Boxes Serve as Roadside Sentinels
Motorists who experience car trouble or want to report an accident or road hazard via a roadside call box are getting a quicker response these days since the responsibility for answering calls from the network of approximately 3,500 call boxes has shifted from the California Highway Patrol (CHP) to a private call answering center.

With the number of cell phone 911 calls and calls from other law enforcement agencies (the highest priorities for the CHP dispatch center) increasing over the past few years, the response time for call box calls had likewise increased. By being the first point of contact for motorists seeking assistance, the private call center can route calls to appropriate agencies, including the CHP when warranted.

Funded by MTC SAFE, the San Francisco-based private call center became fully operational in August 2000, following more than a year of equipment acquisition, set up and testing.

In the East Bay, drivers who travel through the Caldecott Tunnel between Oakland and Orinda can feel safer now that a call box installation project has been completed. Over a period of 18 months ending in the fall of 2000, lighted blue call box signs were installed and yellow call boxes were replaced inside the tunnel and along its approaches on Highway 24 in both directions. The 48 new call boxes take the place of equipment that had reached the end of its useful life, having been in operation for over 30 years--ever since the third bore of the tunnel was finished in 1964.

By the end of December, another East Bay call box project was completed. Fourteen brand-new call boxes were installed on the Richmond Parkway, the 7-mile-long connector between Interstates 80 and 580 in the city of Richmond. The Richmond Parkway project came to fruition through a unique agreement between MTC SAFE and the city of Richmond, with MTC SAFE overseeing installation and maintenance of the call boxes, and the city responding to calls.

Both the FSP and the call box programs are operated by MTC SAFE in partnership with Caltrans and the California Highway Patrol.