Monterey County Freeway Service Patrol Annual Report Fiscal Year 2012 2013 Tow Trucks to the Rescue
What is the Freeway Service Patrol Program? The purpose of the Freeway Service Patrol is to provide for the rapid removal of disabled vehicles and those involved in minor accidents from the freeway. The Freeway Service Patrol program is managed by a partnership of Transportation Agency for Monterey County, the California Department of Transportation, and the California Highway Patrol. The Monterey County Freeway Service Patrol operators contracting with the Transportation Agency provide motorists with the following quick-fix services free of charge: Changing a flat tire "Jump starting" your vehicle Taping cooling system hoses and refilling your radiator Providing you a gallon of gas If the disabled vehicle cannot be repaired in this manner, it is towed to a CHP-designated drop location, absolutely free of charge. If needed, the Freeway Service Patrol driver will transport motorists to the nearest telephone, or call the California Highway Patrol to request additional assistance. The Freeway Service Patrol has provided nearly 40,000 assists in Monterey County since its beginning in February 2000. Keeping Monterey County Moving These roving tow trucks: Provide direct assistance to stranded motorists, increasing safety and security for them in a moment of need. Reduce the number of traffic jams by quickly clearing accidents and other incidents - the cause of more than 50 percent of traffic congestion. Through quick response, lessen the chain of further accidents and bottlenecks caused by drivers passing by the accident scenes. Help save fuel and cut air-pollution emissions by reducing stop-and-go traffic. 1
Service Routes To ensure maximum coverage over high-traffic areas while remaining within the allocated budget, the Freeway Service Patrol operates in two beats: one along Highway 101 from Sanborn Road to Highway 101/156 interchange (Beat 1) and one along State Route 1 between Carpenter Road in City of Carmel-by-the-sea and Reservation Road in City of Marina (Beat 2). Freeway Service Patrol drivers patrol these two beats during times of peak traffic congestion: Monday through Friday. Both beats operate from 7:00-9:00 a.m. and 3:00-7:00 p.m. Both beats provide Saturday and Sunday service on special event weekends, such as the AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro-Am. A modified Beat 1 operates 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 operates on Saturdays during the summer months to accommodate increased tourist traffic. Funding The Freeway Service Patrol program is funded by the California Department of Transportation, with a 25% local match from the Transportation Agency. The state program funding is specifically designated for Freeway Service Patrol operations. The 25% match comes from the call box funds, which originate from a $1 per registered vehicle fee collected by the Department of Motor Vehicles. The Transportation Agency spent $242,470 on the program in fiscal year 2012/13. Continued Construction Support Service In addition to the routinely provided Freeway Service Patrol service for congestion relief, the Transportation Agency began providing tow truck service related to the construction phase of the Prunedale Improvement Project and the San Juan Road Interchange project in 2012. At the request of the Traffic Management Team, which is comprised of the Caltrans Resident Engineer, a Transportation Agency representative and Caltrans Traffic Management Staff, the tow operators patrol the construction zones and remove any stalled vehicles to designated drop locations. 2
PERFORMANCE SUMMARY Benefit/Cost Ratios Table 1: Benefit Cost Ratio (Fiscal Year 2011/12) Weekday Benefit/Cost Ratio Weekend Benefit/Cost Ratio Benefit/Cost Ratio Beat 1 (Hwy 101) 4.6 NA 4.6 2 (Hwy 1) 1.0 0.6 0.9 Average Benefit/Cost Ratio 4 1.8 3.8 The effectiveness of the Freeway Service Patrol (FSP) Program is assessed by calculating the annual benefit/cost ratio of each beat. 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 ($15.90/vehicle-hour) and fuel consumption ($3.00/gallon). The costs include the annual capital, operating and administrative costs for providing FSP service. Because the benefit/cost analysis for fiscal year 2012/13 is not yet available from Caltrans, fiscal year 2010/11 results are used in this report. In fiscal year 2011, the overall benefit cost ratio for the Monterey County Freeway Service Patrol Program was 3.8, which indicates that the tow truck program provided an average benefit of $3.80 for every dollar invested in the program. This is an 18% decrease since fiscal year 2009, when the ratio was $4.61. The decrease in the cost-benefit ratio can be partially attributed to fewer assists being provided. Figure 1 shows that Beat 1 had an average of.76 assists per hour and Beat 2 had an average of.67 assists per hour in fiscal year 2012/13. Recognizing the need for higher assists rates, as well as the low number of assists during the 6am-7am hour, the beats were change in fiscal year 2013 to a 7am-9am and 3pm-7pm schedule. This change will lead to more efficient service and an increased cost-benefit ratio. 3
Average Assist Rate (assist/hour) Based on the Freeway Service Patrol statewide model, the Transportation Agency s Freeway Service Patrol program provided an annual savings of 40,109 vehicle hours of delay, 68,947 gallons of fuel savings and a decrease of 600,738 kilograms per year in carbon dioxide. Figure 1: Average Assist Rate by Hour (Fiscal Year 2012/13) 1 0.9 0.8 0.7 0.6 0.5 0.4 0.3 0.2 0.1 0 Beat 1 (Hwy 101) Beat 2 (Hwy 1) Assists by Fiscal Year In the last three fiscal years, there were a total of 6,730 assists. Table 2 below shows the annual total assists from fiscal year 2010/11 to fiscal year 2012/13. The number of assists has dropped by approximately 5% between fiscal year 2010/11 and 2011/12, and increased by approximately 2% between fiscal year 2011/12 and 2012/13. One reason that may have contributed to the lower assist numbers is a decreased number of vehicles on the highway, supported by results from traffic count data collected by the Agency. Likewise, a reason for the recent slight increase may include subsequent increases in the number of vehicles on the highway, as well as construction of the Prunedale Improvement Project and San Juan Road Interchange. 4
Assists Table 2: Assists and Annual Change by Fiscal Year 1,400 1,200 1,000 800 600 400 Beat 1 (Hwy 101) Beat 2 (Hwy 1) 200 0 FY 2010/11 FY 2011/12 FY 2012/13 Fiscal Year Assists by Quarter Table 3 displays the total number of assists provided by each beat on a quarterly basis for fiscal year 2012/13. The first quarter of the fiscal year, from July through September, has traditionally been the busiest quarter, last year however, the October through December quarter was slightly busier. Sunday service on the Highway 101 route between Memorial Day and Labor Day, and additional traffic from participants attending weekend events during summer months are both contributing factors to the higher summer quarterly numbers, while winter weather and holiday traveling likely affected the second quarter. Figure 2: Assists by Quarter (Fiscal Year 2012/13) Apr - Jun 2013 467 Jul - Sep 2012 585 Jan - Mar 2013 568 Oct - Dec 2012 611 5
Table 3: Assists by Quarter for Fiscal Years 2010/11 through 2012/13 FY 2010/11 Jul 10 - Sep 10 Oct 10 - Dec 10 Jan 11 - Mar 11 Apr 11 - Jun 11 Beat Quarter 1 Quarter 2 Quarter 3 Quarter 4 Assists % 1 (Hwy 101) 371 257 295 290 1,213 52.5% 2 (Hwy 1) 252 236 322 289 1,099 47.5% Assists 623 493 617 579 2,312 100.0% % 26.9% 21.3% 26.7% 25.0% 100.0% FY 2011/12 Jul 11 - Sep 11 Oct 11 - Dec 11 Jan 12 - Mar 12 Apr 12 - Jun 12 Beat Quarter 1 Quarter 2 Quarter 3 Quarter 4 Assists % Beat Quarter 1 Quarter 2 Quarter 3 Quarter 4 Assists % 1 (Hwy 101) 298 220 201 218 937 42.9% 2 (Hwy 1) 336 274 287 353 1,250 57.1% Assists 634 494 488 571 2,187 100.0% % 29.0% 22.6% 22.3% 26.1% 100.0% FY 2012/13 Jul 12 - Sep 12 Oct 12 - Dec 12 Jan 13 - Mar 13 Apr 13 - Jun 13 Beat Quarter 1 Quarter 2 Quarter 3 Quarter 4 Assists % 1 (Hwy 101) 280 307 302 318 1,207 54.1% 2 (Hwy 1) 305 304 266 149 1,024 45.9% Assists 585 611 568 467 2,231 100.0% % 26.2% 27.4% 25.5% 20.9% 100.0% Assists by Problem Type Table 4 showcases the wide range of services provided by the drivers to members of the public. The three most common problem types include mechanical problems, vehicles that are out of gas, and other. The other category refers to motorists that are idling to make adjustments to their vehicles, making personal phone calls, getting directions, driving away after the tow operators stop to assist, and/or incidents with too little information. Figures 3, 4, and 5 show how the percentages of problem types stayed fairly consistent in the last three years. The most noticeable change is in the other category, as the annual percentage rose by 10% in this period. 6
Table 4: Assists by Problem Type (Fiscal Year 2012/13) Figure 3: Percentage of Assists by Problem Type (Fiscal Year 2012/13) Figure 4: Percentage of Assists by Problem Type (Fiscal Year 2011/12) Over Heated, 3.5% Out of Gas, 13.7% Abandoned, 6.8% Accident, 9.8% Other*, 20.9% Debris Removed, 17.7% Electrical Problem, 1.3% Mechanical Problems, 13.3% Flat Tire, 13.0% 7
Figure 5: Percentage of Assists by Problem Type (Fiscal Year 2010/11) Out of Gas, 14.9% Over Heated, 4.5% Abandoned, 8.6% Accident, 8.3% Other*, 17.1% Debris Removed, 16.4% Electrical Problem, 2.3% Mechanical Problems, 14.3% Flat Tire, 13.6% Although a majority of the causes for vehicle breakdown are common and easily fixable, many motorists lack the proper tools or ability to repair their vehicles themselves on the state highway. Therefore, assistance from the Freeway Service Patrol operators plays an important role in getting drivers back on the road safely and quickly. By clearing the problematic vehicles off the roads, the program delivers great results in congestion relief and safety enhancement. Average Assist Duration by Problem Type & Beat In general, repair times for Freeway Service Patrol drivers to address common vehicle breakdowns range from 10 to 20 minutes. The average duration that drivers spent on an assist in the last fiscal year was about 11 minutes. The data also demonstrates that the contractors spent the most time clearing accident scenes and helping vehicles with mechanical problems. The three most frequent causes of breakdowns that are identifiable debris removal, vehicles that are out of gas, and flat tires took an average of 5 minutes, 8 minutes and 14 minutes, respectively. Compared to the fiscal year 2012 statewide average, the Monterey County tow operators were more efficient in all three areas from the highway. Monterey County s FSP drivers spent on an average five minute less clearing debris, three minutes less refueling gasoline for motorists and two and a half fewer minutes changing flat tires. The assist duration has shown an overall decrease from fiscal year 2011/12. This decrease met a program goal for reducing the average assist time while continuing to deliver a high level of customer service. 8
Table 5: Assist Duration by Problem Type and Beat (Fiscal Year 2012/13) Figure 6: Average Assist Duration by Problem Type (Minutes) (Fiscal Year 2012/13) Figure 7: Average Assist Duration by Beat (Minutes) (Fiscal Year 2012/13) 9
Assists by Vehicle Location A majority of the vehicles assisted by program tow operators were located on the right shoulder. Over 20% of the vehicles requiring assistance were in the travel lane, which is 11% higher than the statewide average reported in fiscal year 2012. This percentage illustrates one of the primary program benefits, which is reducing delay for other motorists by maintaining the capacity of the highway system. Table 6: Assist by Vehicle Location (Fiscal Year 2012/13) Figure 7: Average Percentage of Assist by Vehicle Location (Fiscal Year 2012/13) 10
Assists by Vehicle Type and Duration Automobiles and vans make up 54.4% of vehicles receiving assistance from tow truck drivers in the Freeway Service Patrol program. The second largest group was Other/Unknown, which includes non-standard vehicle types such as trailers, buses, motorhomes, U-Hauls, bicycles, and any other special vehicle. On an average, 2.2% of vehicles requiring freeway aid in Monterey County are big rigs. Approximately 15% of the vehicles getting help are Sport Utility Vehicles or pickup trucks, which is thirteen percent lower than the average in the other/unknown category. This category includes trailers, campers, oversized vehicles, and motorcycles. Table 7: Assist by Vehicle Type (Fiscal Year 2012/13) Figure 8: Assist by Vehicle Type (in Percent) Fiscal Year 2012/13 11
Big rigs required the longest duration of vehicles receiving assistance from tow truck drivers in the Freeway Service Patrol program at approximately 14 minutes, while automobiles, vans, SUVs and pickups require approximately 11 to 12 minutes, and Other/Unknown require the least time at 6.2 minutes. Monterey County is performing at or better than average in most vehicle types, with the exception of big rigs on Beat 1 and SUVs/Trucks on Beat two, both of which had above average durations. Figure 9: Assist Duration by Vehicle Type (in Percent) Fiscal Year 2012/13 PUBLIC OPINION SURVEY Survey response The Freeway Service Patrol drivers are required to provide opinion surveys to motorists with every assist. Opinions and comments received from the surveys are used to improve the service and motorists experience. The survey seeks feedback from motorists on the length of their waiting time, the overall service rating, the manner in which they heard about the service, and suggestions for program improvement. In the last fiscal year, a total of 178 surveys were returned to the Transportation Agency, averaging at an 8% survey response rate. The number of received surveys increased from the 119 received in fiscal year fiscal year 2011/12. The number of surveys received peaked at 319 in fiscal year 2009/10, and returning to a higher rate of received surveys is a goal going forward. Of the surveys received, ninety-six percent of respondents rated the service they received as Excellent, with the remaining four percent stating the service was Good. 12
Figure 10: Rating by Survey (in Percent) Fiscal Year 2012/13 Fair 0% Good 4% Poor 0% Other 0% Excellent 96% What the motorists say Comments received on the survey cards include some of the following: Thank you for great service! The driver came right away, didn t know that we had this service and he saved my day! It was wonderful to get me safely off the freeway! As a single female I really appreciate this service. Driver was wonderful. The dude was awesome! EXCELLENT!!! Thank You =) I was amazed at how fast I got my tire changed! The best service I could have asked for. Moving forward In the next fiscal year, the Freeway Service Patrol will keep patrolling Monterey County s busiest commute corridors, clearing the roads and helping drivers in need. Looking ahead, major goals for the Freeway Service Patrol include increasing the rate of survey responses, maintaining a high benefit to cost ratio, and continuing to reduce vehicle hours of delay, gallons of fuel used, and total emissions of carbon dioxide in Monterey County. Keeping Monterey County s freeways clear benefits everyone. The Monterey County Freeway Service Patrol Is Here to Help You! 13