Los Angeles Daily News
LOS ANGELES — A California Highway Patrol’s year-old experiment at clearing crashes faster on the Ventura Freeway has improved traffic flows and response times so successfully it will be the model for two similar programs in Los Angeles County.
Prior to the program, the average response time was 21 minutes, and the average time on the scene was 37 minutes. During August, the average response time was five minutes and the on-scene average was 10 minutes, according to the Highway Patrol.
The program — 15 officers specifically assigned to get to crashes, stalled cars and other impediments quickly — was implemented Nov. 1, 2000, by the patrol on a five-mile stretch of the Ventura Freeway.
Known as the Focus Congestion Management Program, it was made possible by $14.5 million used to add 150 motorcycle officers at freeway choke points.
"Their main function is to clear any type of hazard from the road to alleviate any type of congestion," patrol Capt. Mike Poore said.
"They are really the emergency room of traffic congestion, these are the guys who make a difference," said David Fleming, co-chairman of the San Fernando Valley Transportation Strike Force.
Most of the officers conducting the patrols are on motorcycles, which can navigate more easily in traffic, said Mike Brown, the patrol’s southern division chief, adding that some patrol cars are also necessary to assist with getting vehicles off the roadway.
Fleming said that while he served on the California Transportation Commission he learned that even heavy traffic can move at high speeds if crashes and other impediments are removed quickly.
"That’s why the CHP program makes so much sense," Fleming said. "By clearing accidents quicker, you save (time)," he said. "If you save five minutes of time in clearing freeway accidents, you end up saving a half-hour in congestion."
To improve the program, the Highway Patrol also purchased a $380,000 Cessna assist the ground units, Brown said.
"It’s kind of like having a beat partner in the air," he said. "It helps us out tremendously."
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