Today’s Chronicle has a perfect example of what is wrong with the $AFEclear program:
Bess said her car was towed after she had a blowout on Interstate 45 on her way to a doctor’s appointment about noon Tuesday. Her friend, who was driving, pulled the car to the shoulder and was just preparing to change the tire, but a tow-truck driver arrived and told them he had to remove the car.
When Bess refused to have it towed, the wrecker driver called police. Two uniformed officers came and explained the new towing law to Bess. One drove her to her doctor’s appointment in his squad car.
Now, her car is in storage and she can’t afford to get it back. She and her mother, Norma Bess, 73, live together on a fixed income.
Under the Safe Clear program, which became effective Saturday, towing costs $75 for the first five miles and $1.50 for each additional mile. Storage, if applicable, is $48 for the first day, $15 for each additional day. About 500 tows were authorized by 3 p.m. Wednesday, according to Houston TranStar.
By Wednesday, Bess owed about $139. She doesn’t know how she’ll get enough money to get the car back and fears she and her mother will be forced to take the bus to the grocery store and their doctor’s appointments.
“This is ridiculous, what they did,” Norma Bess said.
Yes it is. Mayor White was on Chris Baker’s show yesterday and if I had to hear him say one more time, “It’s better than it was before” or “It costs less than it did before,” I was going to scream. Mayor White, BEFORE $AFEclear someone didn’t get towed and impounded for a FLAT TIRE. Someone didn’t get towed as they got a gallon of gas. Mayor White said that before $AFEclear, when he was stuck in traffic backups, he became really annoyed as he realized it was because of some car sitting off to the side. Well, gee Mr. Mayor. So sorry someone’s misfortune inconvenienced you. Those of us who drive cars need to expect to be inconvenienced by others who break down from time to time. We don’t live in a perfect world, and if you want a perfect commute, Mr. Mayor, then live downtown and use light rail. Then pray light rail doesn’t crash into something, or someone. And I find it very implausible that all Houston freeway congestion is caused by cars on the side of the road. I think it’s more likely caused by numerous cars on the roads.
What I think we learned from the mayor’s interview with Chris Baker is that it truly is all about the money for the city (Did you like that nice stall he did when Baker asked him how much money the city was getting off each tow? The mayor mumbled about looking for the facts in a stack of papers. Please. He knows EXACTLY what the city is getting.), and also about making the commute faster for some important folks who were inconvenienced by people with “funky” cars, or dummies who ran out of gas (that was what Dan Patrick said yesterday.).
There is an uproar over this program for a reason: It’s wrong. First, as Kevin has pointed out, if it’s such a pressing safety issue, then the MAP program should be expanded. How many cars could be helped without these confrontations and huge financial burdens? Probably most. Second, $AFEclear disproportionately affects the poor. And that’s not helping Houston citizens. Will the mayor start some new bus routes for those whose cars get impounded, so they can get to work? Metro has been cutting bus routes right and left, you know. Third, if it’s a flat tire, or a gallon of gas or something else that would take a small amount of time to get a car moving again, it seems unbelievably punitive to force a minimum $75 tow on people in those situations. Fourth, if this truly is the ONLY solution Mayor White can come up with, why in the world is it running 24/7? Why not just during the two peak rush hours? How does this help Houston to be doing this to people passing through, or spending leisure time in Houston? “Guess we’ll write off Houston. Not a very friendly city to motorists.”
Here is a quote from Mayor White in the Chronicle story:
“I want to provide a dynamic, customer-oriented government,” White said.
I think it is safe to say this program fails. Miserably.
And here’s a quote from Councilwoman Galloway:
“I still think it is unfair for us to have done this,” she said. “This is one of the most devastating ordinances we have passed. I just hope we revisit it.”
If a car is sitting on the shoulder for more than a couple hours, then by all means, tow it. But give folks a fighting chance to fix their cars themselves, without $AFEclear hanging over them.
