Press Releases

For Immediate Release

Multilingual Brochures Explain Highway Help Programs

Organizations serving Chinese-, Vietnamese-, and Spanish-speaking populations can obtain information on free public services

CONTACT:

Catalina Alvarado
510.817.5783

Réka Goode
510.464.7706

OAKLAND, Calif., Sept. 17, 2001...Did you know that you can get free roadside assistance if you have a flat tire, run out of gas or have other problems with your car on Bay Area highways during commute hours? Did you know that you can report an accident or ask for towing help by making a free phone call any time of day or night? If you don't speak English fluently, you might not be aware of these services.
Now, the Metropolitan Transportation Commission (MTC) Service Authority for Freeways and Expressways (SAFE) has published a multilingual brochure explaining two highway help programs sponsored by MTC SAFE in partnership with Caltrans and the California Highway Patrol (CHP).

The Freeway Service Patrol (FSP) and the call box network both provide assistance to stranded motorists in the Bay Area. As the brochure explains — in English, Vietnamese, Chinese and Spanish — drivers can get help 24 hours a day, seven days a week from one of the nearly 3,500 bright yellow call boxes spaced a quarter mile to a mile apart on most highways in the nine-county Bay Area. The FSP's fleet of roving tow trucks patrols 403 miles of the region's most congested freeways, primarily during peak commute hours, looking for motorists who need help.

Libraries, community organizations and other groups serving populations speaking Chinese, Spanish or Vietnamese may obtain multiple copies of the brochure titled "Free Highway Assistance" — free of charge — by e-mailing a request to the MTC Library at <library@mtc.ca.gov>, faxing an order to 510.817.5932, or calling 510.817.5836 and leaving a message.

MTC is the regional transportation planning, financing and coordinating agency for the nine-county region. The call box network is operated and administered by the MTC SAFE, which is overseen by MTC commissioners and derives its revenues from the $1 vehicle registration surcharge levied in the nine Bay Area counties. The FSP program is paid for by a variety of federal, state and local funds, including part of the $1-per-vehicle annual registration fee.

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Note to editors: For a review copy of the brochure, call MTC Public Information at 510.817.5757 or e-mail <info@mtc.ca.gov>.

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