Karen Stintz' visit to sell east-end residents on above-ground light rail transit came to a halt when angry shouting from residents drowned her out.
The TTC chair met with about 200 people at an open meeting organized by the Toronto Taxpayers Coalition on Thursday night to find out what commuters think of light rail-subway solutions.
"The question before council is ‘How do we spend a billion dollars to best serve your needs?'" she said, planning to explain her side of the transit battle.
But Stintz was interrupted by shouting that she should build the subway, or "just keep the buses!" One man held a sign saying "Karen Stintz step down."
Stintz had planned to use the gathering to find out what transit riders want, after city council voted to use the TTC budget on light rail trains instead of subways.
Gordon Chong, the author of the Sheppard subway recommendation used by Mayor Rob Ford, sat in on the meeting. Chong said he didn't understand her light rail preference.
Outside the conference room after the meeting, one Scarborough man yelled "When are you going to treat us like citizens of Toronto?"
Stintz responded, saying that the bulk of the latest TTC funding is going to Scarborough, with $1.8 billion going to light rail improvements, and $4.8 billion to the Eglinton Crosstown line which leads to Scarborough. East-end residents are not receiving second-tier treatment, she said.
While Ford suggests that the private sector may build subways, Stintz said there's not a "deep understanding" that residents of Toronto would have to pay them back through taxes and tolls.
