Bus stops to be repaired

The Orange County Transportation Authority has ordered improvements to Huntington Beach and Costa Mesa sidewalks that will make it easier for the disabled to get to bus stops.

On Monday, the authority’s board approved $775,000 to improve 94 intersections in Huntington Beach, Costa Mesa and Seal Beach.

The funds, approved to fix 70 intersections in Huntington Beach, 18 in Costa Mesa and six in Seal Beach, are part of the agency’s Bus Stop Accessibility Program.

The program, started in 1994, is in its third and final phase of retrofitting thousands of intersections.

Greg Winterbottom, one of the authority’s board members who also happens to use a wheelchair, said obstructions such as poles in the middle of a sidewalk or a stop sign on a narrow sidewalk, make it hard to maneuver a wheelchair.

Winterbottom said the Americans with Disabilities Act does not require the authority’s board to make bus stops and intersections accessible. It only requires that buses are made accessible to the disabled, he said.

The program is a partnership between the authority and county cities. Back in 1994, the program first focused its work on making buses accessible to the disabled.

“It doesn’t make much sense to fix the buses when the bus stops are not accessible to the disabled,” Winterbottom said.

Now in its last phase, the program will continue to create more bus stops with wheelchair ramps, expand sidewalks and remove obstructions from boarding areas.

The money the board approved on Monday comes from $13 million infederal grants used to improve access to the 6,500 bus stops in the county, said Michael Litschi, a spokesman for the authority.

Out of the $775,000, $560,000 will be spent in Huntington Beach and $190,000 will go to improve Costa Mesa intersections.

There are 3,000 bus stops in the county that still need to be improved.

Costa Mesa Councilman Gary Monahan, who is on the authority’s board, said Costa Mesa has always had a “curb cut” program.

“That may be why there are less intersections to fix,” Monahan said.

The Costa Mesa program not only makes it easier for people on wheelchairs to get onto a sidewalk but also makes it easier for people pushing a stroller, which Monahan said is just as common in the city.

Huntington Beach Councilwoman Cathy Green, who is also on the board, said the intersection improvements in her city will be a major project.

“Huntington Beach is our third largest city in the county. It’s going to be a major undertaking in our city,” Green said. “This means all of our seniors and anyone with a disability can get on our buses. Particularly now with gas prices going up, the need for mobility in our county is important.”