Record craze: popularity of Toronto’s Bike Share program explodes

The popularity of the Bike Share Toronto bike share program continues to grow. He is breaking records for the number of trips this summer. This growing demand can, however, make access to bicycles difficult at times in certain neighborhoods of the Queen City.

On June 15, the program highlighted on the X platform that it had established a record of 30,442 trips. Four days later, it recorded 31,364 trips.

These records demonstrate how popular this program has become with Torontonianssays the general director of Bike ShareJustin Hanna.

What’s more, the second record took place on a weekday.

This shows that Torontonians use Bike Share like a public transportation system to get from point A to point B.

The trend, he says, shows that these figures are not aberrations. On average, the number of users increased by 15 to 25% compared to the same time last year.

Improving access to bicycles

To meet demand, the Toronto Parking Authority has notably increased its workforce in the field to distribute its bicycles throughout its network.

An effort that Jamie Costello, a user of Bike Sharewas able to see in downtown Toronto.

There are a lot more trucks moving [les vélos d’un stationnement à l’autre]then it really seems to be improving! he exclaims

For her part, Candice Lewis, believes that the Toronto Parking Authority must do more to improve access to this service, particularly during peak hours.

In the downtown business district, it can be difficult to find a bike after workshe laments.

Moreover, the lack of bicycles has increased since the start of summer.

I have colleagues who rely on this program on a daily basis. They have to walk 15 to 20 minutes to find a parking lot that always has bikes.

Mr. Hanna acknowledges that the work is not finished.

He claims that the Toronto Parking Authority accelerate the addition of parking to improve access to bicycles. It favors the downtown business district, as well as the neighborhoods Midtown, Bloor West et Annex.

The general director says that users can use the new app for more precise information in real time on the availability of terminals.

The Toronto Parking Authority also offers a service of valet at street stations King et Baythe avenue University et Gerrard East, and from the street Temperance near Yonge. The service, available during the morning rush hour, ensures that users can always pick up or drop off a bike.

The municipal agency promises more than 1,000 parking stations across the city, with 10,000 bicycles and 2,000 electric bicycles by the end of December 2025.

A craze that does not surprise

The group coordinator Toronto Community Bikeways CoalitionAlbert Koehl, is not surprised by this enthusiasm among Torontonians for the program Bike Share.

Overall, I think this program is a great success he asserts bluntly.

He explains that it offers Torontonians an affordable service, while ensuring that they do not have to worry about repairs or possible theft.

Urban planner Ken Greenberg isn’t surprised either.

According to him, Torontonians are adopting cycling, and this program, to avoid traveling by car or public transit. They are therefore less at the mercy of congestion and construction.

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Mr. Koehl believes, however, that the number of cycle paths must be increased to ensure that cyclists can travel throughout the city. safely. An opinion shared by Mr. Greenberg.

Our network is far from complete unlike other cities which are much more advanced than us. It’s urgent and very important!

According to Mr. Koehl, the bicycle path network currently covers 4% of Toronto’s 5,600 roads.