Countywide : Alternate Chosen for OCTA Board

A Villa Park man with a special sensitivity to the issues of the disabled was appointed Monday as an alternate to the Orange County Transportation Authority Board of Directors.

Gregory T. Winterbottom, 46, said his 30-year vantage point from a wheelchair has given him daily lessons in the needs of the county’s disabled residents seeking public transportation.

“I think those issues will be an important aspect of my contributions,” Winterbottom said. “I want to make sure we spend the right money in the right places. A lot of the time, the tendency is to throw money at an issue, and that doesn’t always work.”

He said that approach also leads to gaps in service. OCTA buses, for example, have good accessibility for passengers with mobility limitations, but he said some bus stops have no wheelchair curb cuts or Braille signs.

Winterbottom’s appointment comes as OCTA officials are urging riders of the county’s van service for disabled people to file new applications by Sept. 1.

The new applications are required under the Americans With Disabilities Act, which mandates that disabled van service riders meet federal eligibility requirements that are stricter than the current county guidelines.

Under the ADA rules, only disabled riders who cannot use regular county buses are allowed to travel in the ACCESS vans. Existing county rules allow any disabled person regardless of the severity of the disability to use the vans.

Each application will be reviewed by a special panel made up of representatives from local nonprofit groups that serve disabled people and the frail elderly. If a rider is ruled ineligible, he or she can have his case heard by an appeals board.

OCTA officials hope to have the ACCESS van service in compliance with ADA rules by October. People with questions about the application process are urged to call (800) 564-4ADA.

Transit service for disabled people will be only one of Winterbottom’s concerns, he said. He also plans to spend time looking at rail system options and alternate fuels that burn cleaner than gasoline.

A semi-retired transportation consultant, Winterbottom has racked up 16 years of service to Orange County transit users. He is the former director of Orange County Consolidated Transportation Service Agency, which once handled county transportation for senior citizens and disabled riders.

Winterbottom also served as chief consultant to the state Senate Select Committee on Southern California Transportation Problems.

Winterbottom’s public alternate post will allow him to vote when the 11-member board’s public member, Sarah L. Catz, is absent or has a conflict of interest. He also participates in the board’s assorted committees.

Catz held the alternate post before she was elevated last month to a full board position. That promotion followed the May retirement announcement by founding member Dana W. Reed, who stepped down Aug. 1.

The board, which sets policy for OCTA, is comprised of four county supervisors and six members of various city councils. Those 10 elected officials vote to fill the board’s 11th spot, which is held by a private citizen.