Reporter contends that airport vehicles are using the txwys as roadways. Tower airport agreement sta...

Narrative:

Prior to renegotiated agreement between tower and airport, vehicles were authority/authorized to drive on taxiway shoulders without communication with ground control. New agreement requires communication, however also states vehicle use of txwys shall be only when operationally necessary for operational requirements. Airport vehicles continue to utilize airport's txwys as roadways requesting use from ground control to provide courtesy shuttle services between GA apron and terminal buildings. Additionally fuel trucks daily use txwys as roadways rather than available service roads. During low visibility conditions the operations are unsafe and reduce aircraft/ground movement operations to inefficiency. Airport has continuously been requested to utilize available surface/service roadways rather than txwys. This item was substantially addressed to airport in a jan/95 report to the airport, in which an airport service road was recommended to be constructed between main terminal apron and GA areas. No solution or action plan has been received from airport operator.

Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: RPTR CONTENDS THAT ARPT VEHICLES ARE USING THE TXWYS AS ROADWAYS. TWR ARPT AGREEMENT STATES TXWYS SHALL ONLY BE USED WHEN NECESSARY FOR OPERATIONAL REQUIREMENTS, REQUIRES COM WITH GND CTL.

Narrative: PRIOR TO RENEGOTIATED AGREEMENT BTWN TWR AND ARPT, VEHICLES WERE AUTH TO DRIVE ON TXWY SHOULDERS WITHOUT COM WITH GND CTL. NEW AGREEMENT REQUIRES COM, HOWEVER ALSO STATES VEHICLE USE OF TXWYS SHALL BE ONLY WHEN OPERATIONALLY NECESSARY FOR OPERATIONAL REQUIREMENTS. ARPT VEHICLES CONTINUE TO UTILIZE ARPT'S TXWYS AS ROADWAYS REQUESTING USE FROM GND CTL TO PROVIDE COURTESY SHUTTLE SVCS BTWN GA APRON AND TERMINAL BUILDINGS. ADDITIONALLY FUEL TRUCKS DAILY USE TXWYS AS ROADWAYS RATHER THAN AVAILABLE SVC ROADS. DURING LOW VISIBILITY CONDITIONS THE OPS ARE UNSAFE AND REDUCE ACFT/GND MOVEMENT OPS TO INEFFICIENCY. ARPT HAS CONTINUOUSLY BEEN REQUESTED TO UTILIZE AVAILABLE SURFACE/SVC ROADWAYS RATHER THAN TXWYS. THIS ITEM WAS SUBSTANTIALLY ADDRESSED TO ARPT IN A JAN/95 RPT TO THE ARPT, IN WHICH AN ARPT SVC ROAD WAS RECOMMENDED TO BE CONSTRUCTED BTWN MAIN TERMINAL APRON AND GA AREAS. NO SOLUTION OR ACTION PLAN HAS BEEN RECEIVED FROM ARPT OPERATOR.

Data retrieved from NASA's ASRS site as of July 2007 and automatically converted to unabbreviated mixed upper/lowercase text. This report is for informational purposes with no guarantee of accuracy. See NASA's ASRS site for official report.

Attributes
ACN	351613
Time
Date	199610
Day	Wed
Local Time Of Day	0601 To 1200
Place
Locale Reference	airport : smf
State Reference	CA
Altitude	agl bound lower : 0 agl bound upper : 0
Person 1
Affiliation	company : air carrier
Function	controller : ground
Qualification	controller : non radar
Experience	controller non radar : 3 flight time total : 150
ASRS Report	351613
Events
Anomaly	other anomaly other
Independent Detector	other controllera
Resolutory Action	none taken : anomaly accepted
Consequence	Other
Supplementary
Air Traffic Incident	other
Situations
Airport	procedure or policy : unspecified

Reporter contends that airport vehicles are using the txwys as roadways. Tower airport agreement states txwys shall only be used when necessary for operational requirements, requires communication with ground control.