Call Boxes

Bay Area Call Box Program

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MTC SAFE Call Box Program 5-Year Strategic and Financial Plan Executive Summary (PDF) May 10, 2002
Screen text version
MAP: MTC SAFE Call Boxes (Remaining After Removals) June 2003 (JPG file-660K)

Purpose of Program

The call box program provides assistance to motorists in trouble, allowing them to report a road hazard, a flat tire or a mechanical breakdown. The call box network also helps in the region's fight against traffic gridlock and smog.

Click here for full-size map of coverage area.

According to Caltrans (the state Department of Transportation), unpredictable events such as stalled autos account for at least half of the congestion on highways.

Administration

The Bay Area call box network is a joint project of Caltrans, the California Highway Patrol (CHP) and the Service Authority for Freeways and Expressways (SAFE), which was created by the state Legislature in 1987. Under the law, the Metropolitan Transportation Commission (MTC) oversees the regional SAFE, which was officially convened in mid-1988. MTC commissioners serve as the policy board for the SAFE, and day-to-day operations are administered by MTC staff members, with a private call answering center answering call box calls and consultants handling design, manufacture, construction, operation and maintenance. All nine Bay Area counties are members of the network: Alameda, Contra Costa, Marin, Napa, San Francisco, San Mateo, Santa Clara, Solano and Sonoma.

Revenue Source

A $1 per year fee on motor vehicle registrations in participating counties funds the call box program. The California Department of Motor Vehicles bills, collects and transfers the revenue to the MTC SAFE. By law, the $1 fee can be used only for implementation, maintenance and operation of motorist-aid services, such as call boxes and roving tow truck patrols.

Technology

Solar panels atop a 14-foot pole recharge the batteries that power the wireless cellular telephone in each call box. Also built into the equipment is a detection system that notifies the call box maintenance contractor if a unit fails or is vandalized.

MTC SAFE is exploring the possibility of using call boxes as data collection and transmission devices to report traffic conditions to Caltrans' Transportation Management Center in Oakland, Calif. By gathering valuable travel information in areas that are not already covered by closed circuit television cameras or sensors imbedded in the pavement, the call box program can increase its value to local transportation managers and the public.

Number of Call Boxes

About 2,650 call boxes are installed on 1,100+ miles of urban, suburban and rural highways and expressways in the nine counties, at three-quarter-mile to two-mile intervals. Most are spaced at one-mile intervals. Click here to see a map of the coverage area.

Call Box Call Answering

Call box calls are currently handled through the services of Connections Communications, a private call answering center based in San Francisco. The call answering center (CAC) handles incoming calls from any Bay Area freeway call box 24 hours a day. The CAC continues to train more operators in order to increase the speed and efficiency with which help is dispatched to motorists. As part of this effort to improve response time, the call center strives to meet a more stringent level of service goals than have historically been standard. For example the CAC attempts to answer call box calls within 12 seconds after the first ring; the earlier standard was 30 seconds. The call center also maintains routine contact with the CHP for the immediate dispatch of emergency assistance for motorists in need.

Callers may experience delays in response time in the event of a major incident, on rainy days and other peak-use periods. The call center handles an average of 100 call box calls per day.

FSP and SAFE Coordination

FSP

The Freeway Service Patrol (FSP) is a roving tow truck service that patrols heavily used sections of freeway during commute hours, assisting motorists in need in an effort to prevent accidents and traffic congestion. FSP is a joint service sponsored by SAFE, CHP, and Caltrans and is intended to complement SAFE's network of call boxes.

Call Box Access

MTC SAFE staff have been working to improve call box access for individuals with both physical, hearing, and speech disabilities since the program's inception. Recent activities have included site enhancements and equipment improvements. Retrofitting all call boxes with TTY/TDD devices is currently under way.

The physical access retrofit project involved constructing traversable, asphalt paths from the road shoulder to the call box, enlarging concrete pedestrian pads to 5’ x 5’ in certain locations, and retrofitting sites with berms, dikes, and other obstructions.

Call Box For the hearing-impaired, the telephone earpiece has been fitted with an inductive coil that makes it hearing-aid compatible, and has the identifying blue grommet that is the standard sign for such compatibility. In addition, the receiver amplifies sound to make hearing over the background highway noise easier for anyone using the telephone.

Click here for full size map of Yes/No call box locations.

In addition, in order to better serve hearing- and speech-impaired motorists, MTC SAFE will retrofit all call boxes with teletext typewriter devices (TTY/TDD). The TTY devices allow users to communicate with the call box operator using a full keypad and display. MTC SAFE expects full retrofit of call boxes in the nine-county Bay Area to be completed at the beginning of 2007.

On a statewide level, MTC SAFE, in cooperation with other SAFEs throughout the state, has completed an evaluation of various devices to improve access for individuals with hearing/speech impairments. An Executive Summary describes the study's findings.

Translation Services

Non-English speakers can use the call boxes as well. Each call box has a TTY display that instructs the user using easy to understand icons and green “yes” and red “no” buttons. Additionally, the CHP and the CAC can connect your call with a 24-hour translation service.

Links to Other Websites

Comarco Wireless Technologies designs, manufactures, installs and maintains the MTC SAFE call box system.
www.comarco.com/callbox/

U.S. Commlink also designs and manufactures products for the call box network.
www.uscommlink.com

CalSAFE is a voluntary association of California Service Authorities for Freeways and Expressways. Information about other call box programs throughout the state is available at this site:
www.calsafe.org.

For more information on MTC's call box program, contact Stephanie Pow at 510.817.5965 or via e-mail at spow@mtc.ca.gov