Incident Management Systems Framework: Impacts of Service Patrols

摘要

The report documents the impacts of two service patrol demonstrations performed in the Puget Sound metropolitan area during the 1990 Goodwill Games. Service Patrols were provided thanks to the cooperation of the Washington State Department of Transportation, the Washington State Patrol, the Federal Highway Administration, the Washington Tow Truck Operators Association, and the Professional Tow Truck Operators of Pierce County. As a result of these patrols, substantial decreases in incident duration were measured within the study area during the demonstration. A major portion of this reduction came from the average decrease of over 5 minutes in the response time required to reach an incident that resulted from the use of service patrols. In addition, the service patrols speeded the removal of disabled vehicles from the freeway creating less disruption to the traffic flow on that facility and improved safety through a decrease in the length of time a hazardous condition was allowed to exist on the roadway.