The Chronicle has some details on City Council’s approval of an expanded MAP to make SAFEclear more citizen-friendly:
The agreement with the Metropolitan Transit Authority to put another $1.1 million toward MAP seals a deal Mayor Bill White struck with a state legislator to save his controversial Safe Clear towing policy from being quashed in Austin.
MAP expansion includes doubling the number of officers on the freeways during peak hours to help stranded drivers. The funds, which come out of Metro’s “general mobility” accounts, will also help pay for $50 courtesy tows given to motorists up to a mile of the next exit.
[snip]
Details of the funding arrangement remained fuzzy Wednesday. According to a transit authority document, Houston will use about $440,000 of its dedicated Metro mobility funds to integrate MAP and Safe Clear, with Metro funding the balance from a regionwide account. White, however, said none of the funding is coming from the city’s mobility allocation.
Here’s hoping someone can get a hold of the fuzzy details. I would like to see what juggling is going on to make this work. But that’s not the only thing that gives me pause:
Whoever arrives first will take charge of clearing the incident. MAP officers may supervise and assist with minor fixes that can be done rapidly and safely. Tow truck operators first on the scene will continue to be responsible for immediately removing the car as required by their contract with the city.
The overly suspicious part of me wonders if wrecker drivers will be more aggressive to get to stalled cars first. I would like to see a provision that a motorist has a choice of either a MAP truck providing assistance, or a SAFEclear wrecker providing an immediate tow. We already know that if a MAP driver can’t help, he will call for a wrecker.
