The Freeway Service Patrol is responsible for clearing the freeway of stalled or broken down automobiles, motorcycles, small trucks (vehicles with a gross weight of 6,000 pounds or less) and small debris. The Freeway Service Patrol vehicle operators contracting with the Transportation Agency provide "quick fix" items to motorists, e.g., furnishing one gallon of gasoline, changing flat tires, providing a "jump" start, taping or repairing cooling system hoses, refilling radiators or similar minor repairs. They also provide towing needs for minor collisions. If the disabled vehicle cannot be repaired in this manner, it is towed to a California Highway Patrol designated drop location. In that case, the motorist can request the vehicle operator to contact the California Highway Patrol Communication center to call for a tow truck or a friend/relative to assist them. The Freeway Service Patrol program is managed by a partnership of the Transportation Agency for Monterey County, the California Department of Transportation, and the California Highway Patrol.
This annual report is based on the latest year of complete data available from the State, which is 2014-15. During fiscal year 2014-15, Monterey County Freeway Service Patrol operations occurred on two road segments or beats: Highway 101 from Airport Boulevard to Highway 101/156 interchange (Beat 1) and State Route 1 between Carpenter Road and Reservation Road (Beat 2). Freeway Service Patrol drivers patrolled these two beats during times of peak traffic congestion from 7:00-9:00 a.m. and 3:00-7:00 p.m., Monday through Friday. A modified Beat 1 operated from Highway 156 to the San Benito County Line on Sundays during the summer months to accommodate the increase in traffic due to tourists visiting the Monterey County area, while the regular Beat 2 operated on Saturdays during the summer months to accommodate increased tourist traffic.
In addition to the routinely provided Freeway Service Patrol service for congestion relief, the Transportation Agency also continued providing tow truck service related to the construction phase of the Prunedale Improvement Project and the San Juan Road Interchange project. Both projects were completed in fiscal year 2014-15, ending the need to continue the construction related FSP service into the next fiscal year. However, during construction, the tow operators provided the valuable service of patrolling the construction zone and removing any stalled vehicles to designated drop locations.
In the last three fiscal years, there were a total of 10,636 assists. In fact, in 2014-15 Monterey County had the third highest rate of assists per hour of any FSP program in California, 1.17 assists/hour. The drivers provided a high level of service, exceeding the expectations of motorists as demonstrated by user surveys. Over 97% of the correspondents rated the service received as excellent, with the remaining three percent stating the service was “Good.”
The effectiveness of the Freeway Service Patrol (FSP) Program is assessed by calculating the annual benefit/cost ratio of each beat. The California Department of Transportation performs the benefit/cost analysis every other year. In fiscal year 2014-15, the overall benefit/cost ratio for the Monterey County Freeway Service Patrol Program was 3:1, which indicates that the tow truck program provided an average benefit of $3.00 for every dollar invested in the program.
The annual savings in incident delay, fuel consumption and air pollutant emissions due to FSP service are calculated based on the number of assists, beat geometries and traffic volumes. The savings are then translated into benefits using monetary values for delay ($17.35/vehicle-hour) and fuel consumption ($3.48/gallon). The costs include the annual capital, operating and administrative costs for providing FSP service.
The $3.00 benefit represents a 25% decrease over fiscal year 2013-14, when the benefit was $4.00. The decrease is largely a reflection of fewer incidents occurring along Highway 101 following the completion of the Prunedale Improvement Project and the San Juan Road Interchange Project. Assists along Highway 101 declined by approximately 50% compared to 2014-15, suggesting improved safety and operations along Highway 101. Notably, assists along Highway 1 continue to rise, with a rise in the amount of debris removed and accidents responded to accounting for the continued increase.