Construction is Complete
Construction of the Sherbourne Cycle Track from King Street to Bloor Street was substantially completed on December 14, 2012. Some of the signs and pavement markings are still to be completed. The solid green bike boxes will be installed in the spring because the green thermal plastic markings require warmer temperatures to install properly. View a youtube video of the section between Bloor St. E and Gerrard St. E.
Upgrades to the additional lengths of bike lanes south to Queens Quay, are tentatively planned for 2013/14. See construction notice below for more details.
Design is Being Evaluated
Transportation staff will be launching a program to monitor and evaluate the Sherbourne design to inform future cycle track designs. Please submit your feedback about the Sherbourne Cycle Track to bikeplan@toronto.ca
Fines and Enforcement
Council has approved a $150 fine for stopping/parking in the cycle track. Toronto Police Service Parking Enforcement has committed to a more rigorous enforcement campaign including towing vehicles which obstruct the cycle track.
Questions About the New Cycle Track
- What is a cycle track?
- Will the cycle tracks be cleared of snow?
- How do I pass slower cyclists?
These and many other questions are answered on our new Cycle Track Frequently Asked Questions page.
Design and Consultation
At City Council's June 2011 meeting City Staff were instructed to proceed with the detailed design and consultation process to improve bicycle lanes on Sherbourne Street with the goal of implementing them in 2012.
Transportation Staff did extensive research in the development of recommendations for improvements of the existing bicycle lanes. A Public Open House was held Thursday January 26th, 2012 to consult Sherbourne St. residents, businesses, and the general public..
Transportation Services conducted a thorough public consultation, to communicate with Sherbourne Street stakeholders about design considerations for the bicycle lane upgrades. View a summary of public consultation work done by Transportation Services for this project.
Background
The existing Sherbourne Street bike lanes were installed in 1996. On July 12, 2011, City Council directed City staff to proceed with detailed design and consultation to upgrade the Sherbourne bike lanes with the aim to better separate cars and bikes and improve safety for cyclists. The construction of the upgraded bike lanes is scheduled to start in summer 2012 in combination with the resurfacing of Sherbourne Street.
Separated bike lanes have been implemented in Montreal, Ottawa and Vancouver and are popular in hundreds of other cities around the world. Sherbourne is the first of a series of separated bike lanes approved by Council to improve the cycling network in downtown Toronto.
Design Considerations
Separated bike lanes require more width than the existing painted bike lanes. In order to maintain the traffic flow and efficient TTC bus service along Sherbourne Street, the new design will result in the following changes:
- Removal of all on-street parking on Sherbourne
- Left-turns restricted at King Street and Shuter Street during rush hours
The design will maintain vehicle access to all connecting driveways and laneways along Sherbourne Street. In addition, approximately 27 new on-street parking spaces will be added to some east-west streets off of Sherbourne Street to partially offset the loss of parking on Sherbourne Street.
Affected City agencies and departments are involved in the design process to ensure the needs of City services are addressed. This includes:
- TTC Bus service
- Wheel-Trans pick-up/drop-off
- Fire and emergency access
- Curb-side waste collection
- Snow removal and street cleaning
Designs have now been finalized and construction is in progress.
See the construction notices at the top of the page for the latest details.
Contact Us
Please submit your feedback about the Sherbourne Cycle Track to bikeplan@toronto.ca
