Mayor Rob Ford has brushed aside a Star-Angus Reid poll showing Torontonians don’t trust him on transit issues, telling reporters: “I don’t listen to polls.”

But moments later Ford cited “every poll you see” as proof that Torontonians are clamouring for the construction of new subways, not surface light rail transit.

The Star poll asked 801 Torontonians last Thursday and Friday: “All things considered, which transit solution do you think would make the most sense for the City of Toronto to pursue?”

Some 52 per cent said “expanding the subway system” while 48 per cent said: “Building/expanding a light rail transit system.” A majority don’t favour road tolls or other fees to fund the pricier subways.

Asked specifically about their trust in Ford to handle transit/commuter issues, 51 per cent said they have “no trust at all,” compared with 45 per cent with some level of trust.

Even a majority of subway proponents don’t trust Ford to handle the issue, according to the online poll that has a margin of error of 3.5 per cent 19 times out of 20.

When asked after his Monday morning “Cut the Waist” weigh-in if he might not be the best cheerleader for the subway cause, Ford said tersely: “I don’t listen to polls. The only one that matters is on election day.”

But moments later, asked about the province’s demands that the City of Toronto present a unified front on transit expansion, rather than the mayor backing subways and the council backing LRTs, Ford said: “Every poll you see is 70 to 80 per cent (people) want subways, so if (Premier Dalton McGuinty) wants to cater to the 30 per cent, I don’t see him winning many seats at 30 per cent.”

A mid-February poll by Toronto-based Forum Research found 57 per cent of Torontonians favoured subway-based transit expansion compared to 38 per cent for LRTs.

However, that poll framed Ford’s plan as including a busway on Finch Ave. W. plus a Sheppard Ave. subway expansion, neither of which is currently funded by the city or the province.

Ford is adamant that the $8.4 billion in available provincial funding be used to bury virtually all of the Eglinton-Scarborough Crosstown line, with any surplus used to jump-start a primarily privately funded Sheppard expansion.

But council essentially revived the former Transit City plan, which would bring the Eglinton line above ground east of Laird Ave. and build a surface LRT on Finch. A panel is to make suggestions for Sheppard by March 21.

A sullen-looking Ford warned before his weekly weigh-in that he had “a bad week” diet-wise.

Loading... Loading... Loading... Loading... Loading... Loading...

He tipped the scale at 310 pounds, up from 308 last week. Ford launched his “Cut the Waist” challenge on Jan. 16 at 330 pounds, vowing to drop 50 pounds by June 18.

His brother, Councillor Doug Ford, lost two pounds in the past week, tipping the scale at 250. He started the challenge at 275 pounds and hopes to slim down to 225.