Motorists are balking at a new $50 fee for Houston's SafeClear program, causing the number of tows to drop by 60 percent and tripling clearance times on city streets and freeways.

City officials trace the downturn to the $3.3 million that was cut from the SafeClear budget earlier this year, as Mayor Annise Parker and the City Council trimmed $80 million across all city operations.

SafeClear, established in 2005 by then-Mayor Bill White, paid for free tows so quickly and safely remove stalled cars from roadways and alleviate congestion. The program was credited with reducing secondary accidents by 20 percent.

"People seem to think that $50 to save your life is a lot of money," said Dinah Massie, spokeswoman for Houston TranStar, which manages traffic issues for a consortium of local, county and state authorities. "You know, if I get stranded on I-45 North or some of those places, I'm getting towed. I think that's a bargain."

Since the fee took effect in June, SafeClear recorded about 10,500 tows, or 60 percent fewer than the 26,700 recorded during the same four months in 2010, TranStar records show.

Before June, SafeClear provided free tows to a safe area up to a mile from the breakdown.

"We just have to … hope people understand this is a safety issue rather than an economic issue," Massie said. "I know $50 is a lot of money to some people, but with the congestion on our dangerous freeways it could be your life."

Council member Sue Lovell said limited funds are still available to reimburse wreckers for towing cars owned by drivers who have no tow insurance, or who simply can't pay.

"The bottom line is: It's not a free service anymore," said Lovell, speculating that stranded drivers are using auto clubs or their own resources to get their cars towed. "It's still a very effective program," she said. "When your car breaks down, it's still safety first. This was to keep traffic moving, and traffic is continuing to flow."

No deaths or injuries

Since the fees began, Lovell stressed, there have been no reports of motorists injured or killed while stranded on a freeway.

An HPD official who oversees the program was not available for comment Wednesday, but the department provided a statement: "If a motorist refuses to have their vehicle towed, an HPD officer will report to the scene. For vehicle owners who are unable to immediately pay the $50 tow rate or the $30 fee for on-freeway assistance, vehicles can be towed and placed in a city approved storage facility up to 48 hours at no charge to owner. In addition, many citizens are unaware that their insurance companies will reimburse for the tow."

Clearance time tripled

Jeannette Nash, an official with the SafeClear Management Group that holds the tow service contract, said wreckers still respond to stalled cars within the required six minutes. But because of questions over the method of payment, the clearance time has tripled to 45 minutes.

"Whenever we do have a refusal, we have to wait for an officer to come and that takes time," Nash said.

Nash said there's a widespread belief that the tows are still free.

"It's very hard to re-educate the public," she said. "We're really trying to find a way to not have to collect the money directly from the person."

Nash and other officials call SafeClear a necessity, and said funding options need to be explored.

Massie, the spokeswoman for Houston Tran­Star, noted the project has been recognized nationally.

"It's a model program," she said, "but it's an expensive model."

james.pinkerton@chron.com