New twist to Houston's towing plan

10:11 AM CST on Thursday, February 3, 2005

By Doug Miller and Shern-Min Chow / 11 News

Click to watch Doug Miller's video
Click to watch Shern-Min Chow's video

HOUSTON -- The rules have changed. If you breakdown on Houston highways, tow truck drivers must now follow new guidelines.

KHOU-TV

The controversy shifts from City Hall in Houston to the state capitol in Austin.

Wednesday, city council tweaked the towing rules despite claims by some council members and state legislators that Safe Clear can't be fixed.

As part of Bill White's new deal drivers get free towing to within a mile of the nearest freeway exit, but only if they break down on the shoulder.

If you have a wreck or break down in a moving lane of traffic, it will cost anywhere from $75 to $124.

Some may be getting a free ride, but for others, the financial trouble isn't over when their car is towed from the road.

"I got only eight minutes to get my car out of the impound," says cost-conscious student Hector Solano.

After that, the clock starts on another day, and for 18-year-old Solano, that would be money poorly spent.

He became a Safe Clear customer Tuesday, when his truck spun out of control on the rain slick Gulf Freeway. He was happy about the quick service, and unhappy about the total bill.

"It cost $180. It's really expensive," he says.

What a difference a day can make. City Council's newly-approved rate fees are:
•Short tows to a safe drop location within a mile of the nearest exit -- free.
•Longer tows for occupied or stolen vehicles -- $75.00
•For unoccupied or accident vehicles the price reverts to the pre-Safe Clear limit of $124.00, and after the first 5 miles, it's $1.50 per mile

The other issue is storage fees.

Those too are regulated. The charge is $15 per day, no matter how long a vehicle's there, plus a one-time $20 impound fee, and a one-time notification fee of $32 on the second.

To save storage and additional tow fees, the students rented a dolly from U-Haul. "The dolly cost $25, $35 or something like that," says Solano.

Wednesday's vote by no means ends the debate. On Thursday, Sen. John Whitmire will introduce legislation that will in effect kill the Safe Clear program. Wrecker drivers have also filed a lawsuit to do the same thing.

"We're trying to manage our freeways better so that the public is safer. And that we're moving our traffic along," Mayor Bill White said.

Only two council members voted against the mayor's changes. One compared the policy to socialism and the other compared the mayor to Fidel Castro.

"The taxpayers are going to be paying for all the tows," said Councilmember Shelley Sekula-Gibbs. "So it's become a free tow program. Socialized towing, if you will."

"We are deliberately taking away from the personal freedoms of the people of this country. People are dying to protect our freedoms. And this city is taking action to reverse freedom," said Councilmember Addie Wiseman.

The city will pay towing companies $50 for every supposedly free tow. Council capped the six-month budget for this at $150,000. Skeptics think it will cost a lot more.

"We'll be watching the numbers very carefully, because we want to make sure that, with the cap on there, that it lasts," said Jeanette Rash, tow company owner.

But it may not last long. Houston's freeway towing policy might get run off the road in Austin.

The focus now shifts from Houston's City Hall to the state capital. State Senator John Whitmire is expected to file legislation Thursday that would essentially outlaw the Safe Clear program.

The question the becomes whether Whitmire and other Houston-area law makers who have reservations about the plan can persuade other law makers from across the state to oppose this Houston controversy.

The Mayor assured Houstonians that Safe Clear is working.

In its first month more than 3,600 vehicles were towed off Houston highways. More than one third of those tows were due to mechanical breakdowns. Nearly 700 vehicles hauled away were left abandoned. There were 635 tows following accidents and 500 were related to flat tires.

A vote on a plan to conduct criminal background checks on tow truck drivers has been delayed.

City council members said they need more time to examine the mayor's proposal.