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What are the best streets for cycling in Toronto?
The best streets for cycling in Toronto help one to recapture that pure, unrestricted joy that made you climb onto the saddle in the first place. These are places where cycling becomes more than just commuting or getting from A to B. Rather than put together a utilitarian list focused solely on safety and cycling infrastructure — there's an app for that — the criteria we had in mind when selecting these candidates was a bit more subjective.
Is the street pretty? Can you go fast? Are there interesting things to look at? Think of it as destination cycling, where the road is the main attraction of the ride. Here are 10 great streets to ride on in Toronto. Add your suggestions in the comments section below.
Russell Hill Road / Poplar Plains
This pair of roads offers the best of both worlds. Coming down the former, you best take the whole lane because unless you ride the brakes, you'll be up around the posted speed limit as you barrel down the windy section south of Clarendon Avenue. Those willing to roll the stop sign near the bottom face the prospect of near-perfect corkscrew turn at Boulton Drive (there is, alas, a speed bump to contend with). You certainly won't go as fast on the way up Poplar Plains, but it's great little tree-lined climb for enthusiasts (and those looking to avoid the traffic on Bathurst.
Leslie Street Spit
Once you leave the traffic behind and enter the off-road section, Leslie Street reveals itself to be truly spectacular. South of Commissioners, the street becomes quieter and narrower as it turns into the bike path for Tommy Thompson Park. Ride it to the end and let the awesome size of Lake Ontario blow you away (sometimes literally). Bring a pair of binoculars if you're into bird or skyline spotting.
Lake Shore Avenue
Pick a time when the Toronto Islands' main street isn't packed with wobbly tourists on tandems and this beautiful bike-friendly cruise past Gibraltar Point Lighthouse and Centreville is hard to beat in terms of natural beauty and car-free delight. This is definitely a bike ride to slow down and savour on a quiet afternoon away from work.
Rosedale Valley Road
Although the pathway on the west side of the road isn't in the greatest condition, it's still hard to imagine a better stretch of pavement to ride a bike on in Toronto than Rosedale Valley Road between the Bayview Extension and Park Road. As is the case with most streets in Toronto, it's more fun when heading south(east) on account of its slight decline, but the gorgeous ravine scenery stays consistent regardless of the direction you're heading.
Beverley/St. George
St. George and Beverley (lumped together for this post) between Queen and Bloor are everything city biking streets should be: relatively quiet, smooth, and, of course, bike-friendly. The University of Toronto campus section has a refreshing scholarly air while south of College, Beverley is a handy north-south connection between Queen West, Baldwin Village and Chinatown. The green space of Grange Park is a definite highlight.
Colborne Lodge Drive
Call it cheating, but all the roads that cut through High Park are a cyclists dream: pleasant scenery, slow-moving traffic that's easy to avoid, and just enough undulation to keep things interesting. If you like to go fast, the section south of Centre Road can be exhilarating. Just make sure to watch out for the speed bumps and wayward squirrels.
Glen Manor Drive
The winding, tree-shaded street between Kingston Road and Queen East is a welcome break from the ubiquitous ruler straight routes that dominate Toronto's grid. Although it's far from challenging, taking some of the downhill curves at speed is a pure delight when there's no-one else on the road. Mist tends to linger in the ravine after a rainfall giving the ride an distinctly eerie feel.
Old Finch Avenue
You don't have to go too far to feel like you're riding in the countryside. Most of the roads around the Toronto Zoo accomplish this, but none are as interesting as Old Finch. It's a bit hilly, of course, but the winding nature of the road is what makes it interesting. Traffic levels are typically low, though one needs to be careful when approaching the one-lane bridges.
Broadview
The street's name says it all really. The view of the city skyline heading south from the Danforth past Riverdale Park is one of this flat city's best vantage points and great recreational spaces. Sure, you have to contend with a streetcar or two as you cruise toward Gerrard but there's always time for a pit-stop at Rooster Coffee House. Like all hills, the ride back up will make you sweat.
Unwin Avenue
Although you might once in a while have to contend with a dump truck or two at the western end, Unwin Avenue in the Port Lands is otherwise a quiet street that's been attracting road cyclists for years. Even though the Martin Goodman trail runs immediately to the south, the post-apocalyptic looking Hearn Generating Station is worth skipping the path for. A resurfacing job on the eastern section of the street has greatly improved the enjoyment factor for cyclists who ride informal crits around the Port Lands.
BONUS
Mount Pleasant Cemetery
This is one of the most tranquil places to ride in the whole city. Just keep the speed down and your thoughts contemplative. Access points from Yonge, Mt. Pleasant, Moore and Bayview.
MAP
SEE ALSO
Writing by Chris Bateman and Derek Flack
Photos (in order) by Scott Snider, yedman and DdotG
Discussion
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Hopefully next time you can buy a one way ticket. For the millionth time, this is not New York, or trying to be New York...if you don't like it, go to New York.
The ride home up Poplar Plains every day though is great motivation to cut back on the cigarettes.
If you can make them work for you, some of our trails and parks make for better bike routes than some of the lanes. I really want to like Harbord and College but the layout and the drivers make it less than ideal.
Other decent streets are Bedford, Davenport, Barton/Lowther, most of Huron, Shuter and Lakeshore/Cibola on the islands.
Sorry for always being the jerk in the bleachers taking pot shots but I find an outside perspective is sometimes eye-opening. Toronto is too complacent compared to what other cities do, an attitude that is soaked deep into xenophobic Ford Nation but present in pols and leaders of other stripes as well. Bikes are a good example.
I too agree that outside perspective can be valuable, it's unfortunate most people living here in Toronto can't (or won't) provide any.
I've traveled to and spent some time in many different cities in my lifetime, I can see where Toronto goes wrong, and I could see where it goes right. Unfortunately. It doesn't go right in very many areas. There's something that can be said for honesty, even if it is brutal and unpleasant. It's unfortunate we try and emulate the states, we ought to be emulating the European nation.
Sample reports on bike infrastructure:
http://www.nyc.gov/html/dot/downloads/pdf/201109_1st_2nd_aves_bicycle_paths_cb8.pdf
http://www.nyc.gov/html/dot/downloads/pdf/20100616_8th_ave_extension_slides.pdf
http://www.nyc.gov/html/dot/downloads/pdf/201109_8th_9th_cb4_slides.pdf
http://www.nyc.gov/html/dot/downloads/pdf/rivington_stanton_suffolk_wb_bridge.pdf
http://www.nyc.gov/html/dot/downloads/pdf/201203_29-30-st-crosstown-lanes_cb5_slides.pdf
And just to show I'm not completely biased, here is a bike plan report from Chicago complete with best-practices suggestions for various components of bike infrastructure:
http://www.bike2015plan.org/chapter1/index.html
for the best cycling, stick to trails, like the don river trail from the lake to edwards gardens or humber river trail all the way to woodbridge
This suggests that, even though they clearly are fond of New York and so forth, they don't necessarily hate Toronto either. Why would you bother investing the time to peruse a site dedicate to a City you hated or didn't give a crap about?
Yes, it can be tedious to constantly hear how Toronto doesn't measure up to New York, but in fairness, that would be the case for most cities around the World. New York is considered one of the world's greatest cities, and its been that way for probably 200 years. OF COURSE Toronto won't measure up - we've only been the big dog in Canada (itself a small and fairly unimportant country on a world scale) for what, 30 years? There's nothing wrong with acknowledging that, though proximity puts the issue more in our face for sure.
However, the fact that articles like this constantly generate so much comment both for current and apparently former Torontonians, just seems to me a like a sign that we care.
*Rant over* - on to the topic at hand:
I'm a fan of the Spit, abd Unwin Dr. as I live nearby. Both are nice, leisurely rides, well-suited to novice riders and have nice views as their payoff.
The problem specifically on this stretch is that there are many intersections where there's no vehicle traffic crossing the signed/signalled intersection, so I guess more cyclists don't think it matters.
I also used to love biking up Spadina Rd. between St. Clair and Eglinton to get to work. It's a wide street with only one lane of traffic each way so there's definitely enough room for bikes to ride comfortably. Plus it's all the fancy, scenic Rosedale houses!
As for the comments from "Mike B" your quick defense of the city is clearly spawned by your insecurity combined with an inferiority complex, both are not rooted in fact rather your own feelings, its attitude like yours that will prevent progress, there is nothing wrong with looking at other cities that have made progress and trying to emulate or better them... Your comments betray your insecurities..
Either way, stop trolling, the both of you.
I have joined Toronto cyclists union and donated, if you know of other ways to contribute i would love to hear as i would ultimately love to live in a city with an amazing cyclist infrastructure, preferably Toronto.