If you didn’t know, I’m a proud Toronto Bike Share member! Thanks to a plethora of great discounts, I’ve been able to maintain a membership for about two years. Biking is such a great way to get around, and throughout the two years I’ve learned a lot about biking in Toronto.
- Biking is the fastest way to get around the inner city
Bike Share is the easiest way to get around the city! Biking is just as flexible as a car, but never stuck in traffic. There’s a decent amount of bike lanes downtown, and if you have a good mental map you’ll find it really easy to get around. I especially love it getting to and from subway stations because the streetcars are so slow by comparison!
Here’s an example: from Rosedale Station to Little Italy, Bike Share is the fastest way!
- Bike Share gives you options
I love that Bike Share now exists as an option. It’s no longer just between taking transit and walking, there’s a new sweaty way to get to my destination. If my TTC transfer is expired, I can just use my “free” bike share pass! It’s especially useful to combine transit and bike share to get around, which is way faster than walking! It truly is a great last mile solution.
- Bike Infrastructure was better than I thought
Toronto has a surprisingly decent amount of bike infrastructure. Within the inner city, there’s plenty of bike lanes that create a grid (although it doesn’t connect the entire inner core yet). Many of these bike lanes have been upgraded over the past few years, adding protected infrastructure, signage, dedicated traffic lights, etc. I especially like the new College Street and University Avenue bike lanes, which are very wide and segregated from the rest of traffic. Well done!
If I have to summarize my experience using Bike Share in Toronto, this quote from Ray Delahanty, the creator behind the YouTube Channel CityNerd: “I’ve never seen so much biking in a place that was so obviously hostile towards it.”.