FRIENDSWOOD — Friendswood city hall got a half-dozen calls Monday from worried drivers.
They were asking about Safe Clear, Houston’s new traffic program that allows wreckers to tow broken down or abandoned cars from area highways in a matter of minutes. The callers were worried that the program might apply to Friendswood as well.
Not so, say city officials.
“We don’t have an active towing program,” said City Manager Ron Cox. “We work with the individuals and we are certainly are not going to indiscriminately tow cars away.”
Cox said residents might have thought the program was for the Houston area, rather than just Houston itself. Part of Friendswood is in Harris County, which includes Houston.
Safe Clear allows registered towing companies to haul off cars parked or abandoned along Houston thoroughfares, including parts of Loop 610 and Interstate 10.
Drivers are charged $75 plus $1.50 for each mile after the fifth mile. The idea is to clear vehicles from the roadways as quickly as possible to prevent accidents.
Cox said many Friendswood residents commute to Houston every day, but the city lies outside the reach of Houston highways. Other towns, though, bisect some of the city’s thoroughfares.
Bellaire City Manager Bernie Satterwhite said his city limits encompass about 2.5 miles of Loop 610. Although he hasn’t received concerned calls from residents, Satterwhite was quick to stress that Bellaire is not Houston.
“I haven’t ever been apprised by the police that we have a severe problem that needs to be corrected,” he said. “Certainly we are looking to the city of Houston to see what they are doing, but we really haven’t considered a similar policy at this point.”
The Safe Clear program began citywide on Jan. 1. It is run by the Mayor’s Office on Mobility and the Houston TranStar Partnership along with representatives from law enforcement and area towing companies.
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On the Web: For more information on Houston’s Safe Clear program go to http://www.houstontranstar.org/safeclear/
