In memoriam: Long-time OCTA board member Winterbottom

Gregory Winterbottom, the Orange County Transportation Authority’s (OCTA) longest-serving board member, died June 26. He was 73. 

Winterbottom began serving as a public member of the OCTA board in 1993. In 2004 and 2013, he served as chairman. Most recently, he was vice chairman of OCTA’s Transit Committee, a member of the Mobile Source Air Pollution Reduction Review Committee and a board member for the Southern California Regional Rail Authority, which operates Metrolink.

Winterbottom pioneered OCTA’s Dial-A-Ride program to provide door-to-door transportation for wheelchair users and the elderly, and managed the Consolidated Transportation Service Agency to provide cost-effective transportation services for individuals with disabilities. 

The programs paved the way for OCTA’s ACCESS paratransit service, which records nearly 1.4 million boardings by eligible Orange County residents each year, OCTA officials said in a press release.

“Greg was a tremendous public servant who brought extensive experience in transportation and government to the OCTA board,” said OCTA Chairman Steve Jones. “His contributions and legacy of progress for people, especially those with transportation challenges, has left a lasting impact on Orange County.”

In a wheelchair for more than 50 years, Winterbottom provided a valuable perspective and important viewpoint to issues regarding people with disabilities, OCTA officials said. He was a champion for projects and programs designed to ensure everyone had equal access to both transportation and public spaces, long before the Americans with Disabilities Act became law, they added.