Back in March 2022, I got an e-scooter to make getting to the office in Vaughan easier. At the time, transit users needed to pay double fare between the TTC and York Region Transit (or other GTA transit agencies). With the cost of the e-scooter being $700 plus tax at the time, the savings from the double fare more than paid for itself. However, the Ontario government introduced the “One Fare” program in February 2024, while the TTC banned e-bikes and e-scooters on their subways, buses, and streetcars during the winter months in December 2024. Add the high cost of maintenance after having a third flat tire in less than three years back in November (and a battery replacement earlier in 2024) and I gave up on the e-scooter ever since. Of course, York Region Transit’s bus service could use some serious improvements with the Jane bus (#20) sometimes being full during the afternoons.
While I no longer see the e-scooter as a viable long-term commuting option, I recently took on a different way to mix up my thrice weekly commute.
I got an annual 30-minute bike share membership!
Even though I already have access to three bikes at home – which you can’t bring on the TTC during rush hour – there are several ways which bike share can come in handy. As many TTC riders can attest, the subway sometimes gets shut down which led to shuttle buses and huge crowds waiting for them. Whenever that happens from St. George to Broadview, it’s a lot more convenient to take the bike share home. If I needed to bring one of my bikes in for a tune up, I could then take the bike share home (and use it to get to the shop when the bike is ready). Getting a membership also makes doing lighter errands and/or attending post work meetings easier since you don’t need to worry about the TTC’s two-hour transfer running out. Just re-dock before your 30 minutes is up and get a new bike and it’s all good. Finally, a bike share membership is a lot more affordable way to get cardio exercise than paying for a gym membership.
Last week, I started to put my membership to use and started making some observations. On Thursday, I was finally able to unlock an e-bike – something which I couldn’t do before for some unknown reason – and rode it to Dupont station. Even wit the wind and hills, I was able to get it up to between 25 and 27 km/h. However, the nearest station to Dupont was at Spadina and Macpherson which was a 130-metre walk north from either of the two subway entrances. While bike share stations should ideally be placed next to transit stations whenever possible, there is a need to provide clear wayfinding when the bike share stations are not within sight if we are to truly treat bike share as a first and last mile solution. They do this for buses and taxi stands, so why not for bike share as well?
One possible solution can be found at the Kendal Avenue east side entrance of Spadina station. Even though the bike share station is right next to the station entrance, the exit door has a sign showing where the bike share is. Surely there could be a way to replicate this across the subway system?
This distance issue I noticed at Dupont made me wonder how far the nearest bike share is from some of the other subway stations. While this is something that will take quite a while, it’s an exercise worth exploring. To get started, here are a few stations I checked out recently.
- Dupont – 130 metres north at Spadina & Macpherson
- Spadina (Line 1) – Right next to the Kendal Avenue eastern entrance
- Spadina (Line 2) – 40 metres north of the Bloor Street entrance
- Bathurst – 80 metres north at the Ed and Anne Mirvish Parkette
- St. George – 130 metres south at the southeast corner of Bloor & St. George
A couple of others on Bluesky flagged similar issues in the west end:
- Keele – 120 metres south at the southwest corner of Bloor & Parkside
- Dundas West – On the other side of Dundas West from the station
- Dufferin – 80 metres north on the west side of Dufferin Street
- Ossington – 140 metres southwest at Bloor & Concord
- Runnymede – 120 metres west at Beresford Avenue inside Neil McLellan Park
To find out the worst offenders, I looked at the Bike Share Toronto app and Google Maps. Kipling and Kennedy stations would be it for Line 2 which are more than 500 metres away from bike share stations and could use some stations that are closer. On Line 1, Yorkdale and York Mills stations need to have bike share stations added. For now, I won’t count Highway 407 and Vaughan Metropolitan Centre as they are outside of the City of Toronto boundary. Finally, Bessarion station on Line 4 is more than 500 metres away.
If bike share is to become a true first and last mile solution, Bike Share Toronto needs to ensure each subway station has access to a bike share station, while the TTC needs to ensure proper wayfinding for those stations that are a bit more distant. Matt Elliott put out a column last month calling on Bike Share Toronto to beat BIXI Montréal. Even then, there are at least two areas where Bike Share Toronto wins which are year-round access at all stations, as well as the more affordable pricing.
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