Toronto’s bike share program may finally become usable to Ossington Village residents.
Expansion plans were announced a few months ago, and today the organization issued a map of future stations, spreading out this system to more areas of the city after 7 years in operation. And, good news! They are adding several more bike stations beyond the one at Queen and Ossington and you will be able to take them west of Ossington!
The bike share program’s history has been tumultuous in Toronto.
Original operator Bixi went bankrupt, so the city’s parking authority took over management. While smaller cities like Montreal and Washington DC have successful programs that cover large swathes of downtown, Toronto’s started with bike stations along the subway line. So, as opposed to offering transport options where little were available, the bike share was a superfluous service where one already existed.
We waited a long time before the bicycles even made it past Bathurst, and those just a little west of us have waited longer, as the Ossington and Queen stop has been the furthest west for years:
Now there will be places to pick up and drop off your bicycle in Liberty Village, the Exhibition and Dufferin. Sorry, Roncy, you still have some waiting to do.
The upcoming bike stations include Trinity Bellwoods Park, Dundas West and more on West Queen West:
Residents and visitors in other parts of the city will be interested too: bikes are coming to the Distillery District and Leslieville!
This is long overdue, so let’s celebrate! Toronto’s bike share is actually starting to look legit! Expansion begins today and will be ongoing through July 11, as they add 120 new stations and 1000 new bikes.
Since you may now want to try using these bikes, here are the details:
- 24 hour access pass: $7
- 48 hour access pass: $15
- As long as you return bikes within 30 minutes of each trip, no extra charges beyond those access fees
- Annual membership: $90
Will you be trying these bikes out this summer? Tweet us or let us know on Facebook.
