OCTA Planners Recommending Fewer Cuts to Bus Routes

Bowing to public pressure, Orange County transit planners have recommended keeping some bus service they had planned to cut, including routes serving UC Irvine and the Braille Institute, and have revamped plans for other lines, including the 57, which serves a large number of domestic workers.

A massive overhaul of the bus lines, with changes to nearly all 72 routes in the county, is set for a vote Monday by board members. If approved, it would take effect in September.

But the effort to straighten out bus routes that now zigzag through much of the county has met with resistance from a wide range of residents: the blind, advocates for the disabled, domestic workers who commute from their homes in North County to the tony beach communities where they work.

Transit planners concede that the latest proposal does not change the basic concept of “one street, one route” that would force about 30% of riders to change buses more often.

“It doesn’t take away the fact that a lot of riders will have to transfer where they didn’t need to before,” OCTA spokesman Dave Simpson said. “But in many cases . . . we find that, since buses aren’t deviating down side streets and will come more frequently, people will actually be saving time.”

In February, a public hearing on the issue lasted nearly five hours--the longest in OCTA history--and drew an overflow crowd of hundreds who packed two meeting rooms. As transit planners released their final recommendations Thursday, they said they have addressed nearly 90% of the concerns raised by bus riders.

Some OCTA commuters say they remain wary about the changes despite the concessions. In Leisure World in Seal Beach, for instance, residents bound for Long Beach or Fullerton would be forced to change buses to get on Route 60, which connects the two cities.

“Not only are our residents impacted, but many low-income caretakers ride the buses and come here and now will have to walk long distances early in the morning and late at night,” said Terry Sears, manager of transportation and security for the retirement community.

Still, some of the news was good, especially that Route 164 would be extended to the Veterans Affairs office in Long Beach, Sears said.

The final recommendations also will address:

* The fate of Route 57, which now connects Santa Ana and the Newport Beach-Costa Mesa area. Transit planners had proposed ending the route near John Wayne Airport, but now they want it to continue serving the Newport Beach Transportation Center. They also would extend the route north to the Fullerton Transportation Center and add a route (53) to provide service to Costa Mesa. The straighter route should save about 20 minutes for commuters who do not need to transfer, officials said.

* Three UC Irvine routes slated for elimination. The new plan would restore one route, with service to the campus from Huntington Beach. And riders who now take Route 65 between Santa Ana and the campus would be able to take Route 57 to transfer points for Route 178 or Route 79.

* Areas of north Lake Forest now without bus routes. They would get service by extending the proposed Route 206 on Bake Parkway.

* The Braille Institute in Anaheim, which had faced elimination of its bus stop. Now it would be served directly by Route 42 between 7:30 a.m. and 6 p.m. weekdays and Saturdays.

* Service to areas along Alicia Parkway from Crown Valley to Marguerite in Mission Viejo. The plan proposed in February called for that service to be eliminated, but the revision would add a route to serve the area.