Senior center bus route to stay

Eron Ben-Yehuda

HUNTINGTON BEACH -- After protesting proposed changes in bus routes that

service an area senior center, elderly residents convinced the county to

leave one line alone.

“At least, we haven’t lost completely our bus routes,” said Pat Davis, a

board member for the Council on Aging, a local nonprofit group.As part of

a plan to overhaul its bus system, the Orange County Transportation

Authority originally intended to alter Routes 25 and 76 so they no longer

stop at the corner of 17th Street and Orange Avenue, where the Rogers

Seniors’ Center stands, agency spokesman Dave Simpson said.

Now, only Route 76 will probably be sacrificed, Simpson said. The board

is considering straightening lines so they travel more on main

thoroughfares and off neighborhood streets, making the system more

efficient. A study showed that 60% of county commuters will save time

under the new system, while 30% will take longer to reach their

destination, he said.

Because of changes in Route 76, some seniors will still be

inconvenienced, senior center director Nora Webb said.

“If the bus route moves to a point where people have to walk [far], that

is going to take their independence away,” she said.

Seniors might stop coming to lunch or fitness classes at the center, she

said.

There is an outreach program that offers to drive seniors around, but

organizers worry about increased demand stretching limited resources, she

said.

The county agency is expected to make a final decision about the bus

system March 27, Simpson said, with the plan expected to go into effect

by September.