Photo by thisisbossi

Metro’s board members heard testimony from well over 100 people Wednesday night as they prepare to vote today on how to close an additional $16 million of the transit agency’s 2010 budget gap.

While opinions certainly differed on the best way to go about shoring up Metro’s finances, most of those who testified said they would prefer to pay a little bit more than see the system offer less service. The agency had offered riders a list of four choices, and Option 1, which would see WMATA make up to $4 million worth of service cuts, was the least popular.

“I actually don’t really like any of the options, but if I had to choose, I’d choose Option 4,” said Ward 1 resident Matthew Wilson, referring to a proposal to raise fares 10 cents across the board. “I think it’s a fairly moderate increase.”

Many of those who spoke at the hearing shared personal stories about how cuts in service would affect their lives dramatically. There were people who said they don’t own cars, and depend on the transit system on a daily basis. Others were concerned that increased headways and shorter trains would turn casual riders back to their cars. Maryland resident Douglas Edwards told the board that he would be less likely to come to the city to shop if he didn’t have a dependable way to get there via public transportation, since he had already “been driven out of the District by the parking tickets you all have here.”

Some testimony got predictably heated, with several people calling for board members to resign. One man told the group that in his opinion, this was the “worst executive leadership and the worst board in the history of Metro.” The names of the two Metro workers who were killed on Tuesday morning were also invoked several times as evidence of WMATA’s sorry state.

In the end, board members had to agree that the overall message of the meeting was clear.

“I didn’t hear anybody say, ‘cut service,'” said board member Christopher Zimmerman after the hearing concluded. “We have to do a fare surcharge. I think a lot my colleagues feel that way.”

The board is expected to make a decision on the remaining 2010 budget shortfall today at their weekly meeting.