Bike Share Toronto set to expand

London’s Santander Cycles – more commonly known by their enduring nickname “Boris Bikes” – have helped Londoners and visitors alike travel around the city with ease via their publicly shared bicycle scheme. Building on London’s success, the city of Toronto implemented a similar programme a year later and are now poised to see it expand further.

Bike Share Toronto’s Expansion

The Bike Share Toronto scheme was launched in the spring of 2011. At that time, 800 bicycles were distributed over 80 docking stations throughout the heart of the city. Bike Share Toronto is now hoping to grow past the city limits into the Greater Toronto and Hamilton areas.

Right now, the bike hire network stops at Ossington Avenue in the west, Parliament Street to the east, and Bloor Street to the north. Moving outside Toronto would enable visitors to explore even further, with bike stations placed at transportation hubs and shopping hubs throughout the region.

Cycling in Toronto

Unless there is bad weather, Bike Share Toronto is available for use 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, and it is an amazing way to explore the city. Toronto is often described as a ‘city within a park / park within a city’ and has over 290 km of trails for cycling from one neighbourhood to another. There’s plenty to explore on two wheels, mixing urban areas with riverside trails and forested park paths. This recent planned expansion of the bike share scheme will be perfect for holiday travellers to Canada.

If you fancy hopping on a bike to explore Toronto, here are some of the top cycling routes in Toronto that are worth checking out.

Pickering Waterfront Trail – 91.6km

This stunning trail takes cyclists alongside the water, and there are dedicated bridges for cyclists. If the 91.6km sounds a bit long for you, don’t worry – there are multiple points along the way where you can park up your Canadian hire car and do as much or as little of the trail as you like.

Find out more here

Circular trail in the heart of Toronto – 19km

For an hour’s cycle that’s pretty central you can make use of a number of popular trails. Start from Kingston Road through Taylor Creek trail, and head along the Lower Don River trail. Then head back to the start position via the Lake Shore Boulevard.

Find out more here (Trail 2)

Check out Bike Share Toronto’s website for live information showing their docking stations and bike availability.”

Image Credit: Secondarywaltz (Wikipedia.com)