GO Transit/Brian Main
Bike shelter at Milton GO Station
My
column of May 25 about combining bikes and transit gives an overview of the dramatic expansion of cycling infrastructure. Here are some resources for adding two wheels to some of your trips in the GTA and beyond.
Key biking tips from Smart Commute (see left-hand column):
http://www.smartcommute.ca/choose/bikeGreat resource, especially easy GTA tours, plus maps:
http://bikesandtransit.com/Links to GTHA Transit systems also includes some cycling maps:
http://www.findtheway.ca/en/CYCLING PAGES ON OFFICIAL TRANSIT SITES
Biking and GO Transit:
http://www.gotransit.ca/public/en/station/bicycles/bicycles.htm GO’s entire bus fleet, including highway and double decker buses, is now equipped with bike racks.
46 bike shelters were built at GO stations in fall 2008. An additional 56 are being built summer and fall, 2009. One bike shelter can accommodate about 20 bikes and are located close to the platform, as well as the station building.
A reserved biking pilot program is scheduled to begin at Hamilton and Burlington GO stations this summer, where the customer would pay a nominal feel to park their bike inside an enclosed, reserved biking area.
Oakville Transit:
http://www.oakvilletransit.com/faqs.htm The Oakville Transit conventional transit fleet is 100% equipped with bike racks. Bike racks at Uptown Core Transit Terminal (Dundas & Trafalgar)
Town Hall also has bike racks and bike lockers. Developing an Active Transportation Master Plan.
Mississauga Transit:
MT plans to install racks on all buses late June, 2009. Look for links at
http://www.mississauga.ca/portal/residents/publictransit There are bike racks at MT terminals: City Centre, Malton-Westwood Mall, Meadowvale Town Centre, South Common Mall.
Brampton Transit:
http://www.brampton.ca/transit/bikeRide/home.tml
All 234 BT buses have a bike rack. Metrolinx has also funded the installation of bicycle lockers, which will be available in transit terminals beginning in 2010.
Infrastructure that would allow commuters to combine cycling and transit trips:
Brampton has 120 kilometres of trails, including a new 16-kilometre multi-use path along Bovaird Drive that connects five valleyland trails, two major transit terminals (Mount Pleasant GO Station and Trinity Common Terminal), and more.
York Region Transit/VIVA:
http://www.yrt.ca/facilities/bike-racks.asp
YRT plans to install racks on a quarter of its ~400 Viva buses starting fall 2009. Installation on YRT buses continues and almost entire fleet expected to have bike racks by summer 2010.
YRT has also installed 175 bicycle racks at 71 terminals and transit stops throughout the Region.
Bike storage lockers at transit facilities are being investigated for a potential launch in 2010.
On-street bike lanes are a part of VivaNext Bus Rapid Transit
expected to begin construction in fall 2009 along Highway 7 in Markham.
TTC:
http://www3.ttc.ca/Riding_the_TTC/Bicycles.jsp
Look for 18 more routes to have bike racks as of late May 2009, bringing the total of “bike friendly bus routes to 89, which is more than 50 per cent of all bus routes.” All routes to have bike racks by 2012. (Because of new buses breaking down frequently, TTC is keeping some old buses until 2012 -- these won’t have racks it seems. -ed)
More initiatives are on their way, including potentially more bike lockers or secure bike facilities at stations.
Toronto's new secure Bike Station, on west side of Union Station:
http://www.toronto.ca/cycling/bicycle-station/
Durham Region Transit:
http://www.durhamregiontransit.com
DRT plans to have racks on most buses “by the end of the year”.
GTA planning for bicycles -- BikeLinx Program:
http://www.metrolinx.com/en/CommunityInitiatives.aspx
