L.A. Metro seeks ridership ideas; California high-speed authority slates meetings

The Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority (Metro) has begun holding service council meetings to gather public input on how to increase ridership.

The first such meeting took place yesterday in the San Fernando Valley area, and three additional meetings will be held Sept. 9, 10 and 14, according to "The Source," the agency's blog.

In March, Metro's board approved a motion asking the agency to create a plan to increase ridership. Metro's staff provided an initial response in June, and efforts are ongoing to narrow down a list of ideas while also seeking public input, according to the blog.

Between 2010 and 2014, Metro's overall ridership rose 3 percent, which was attributed primarily to an increase in rail ridership. However, through the first half of 2015, the number of average weekday boardings fell to 1,423,458, compared with 1,495,184 in 2014, L.A. Metro officials said on the blog.

Meanwhile, the California High-Speed Rail Authority (CHSRA) has scheduled community open house meetings to provide current information on project sections running from San Francisco to San Jose and from San Jose to Merced.

There will be a series of four meetings between Sept. 8 and Oct. 7, according to a CHSRA flier. The open house-style meetings are aimed at addressing community concerns and gathering input as the agency moves into the next phase of planning and environmental review.