Car usage drops among L.A. Metro's rail riders

According to the results of Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority spring 2015 customer survey, 35 percent of the system's rail riders had a car available to them, marking a decrease from 2014, when 42 percent of rail riders reported having cars available.

"The new numbers may very well suggest that fewer people see the need to have a car or they could suggest that among the mix of current Metro riders, transit dependency has risen," wrote Steve Hymon, editor of the agency's blog.

He also noted that the numbers about car availability in July 2014 were higher than previous years.

Additionally, the survey found that 29 percent of rail riders have brought their bikes aboard.

The agency's spring customer survey polled nearly 20,000 riders. Metro conducts the customer satisfaction survey twice a year.

As reported in Progressive Railroading's July cover story, Metro is also pursuing an ambitious agenda to build more rail, which is aimed at decreasing car usage.