Guest post by Gareth Davies of Cycle Toronto
Did you know June is Bike Month?
June – Bike Month
Even though Riverside currently lacks bike lanes along it’s beautiful stretch of Queen Street, it’s still a great place to enjoy to by bicycle. From where I live in Cabbagetown it’s a 10 minute trip south on Sherbourne, then east across the beautiful Queen Street bridge over the Don Valley. It’s not uncommon on a busy weekend to have a hard time finding an available Ring & Post right outside your destination in Riverside. This happened to me last week at the Riverside Art Walk.
One of the draws for cyclists is how quickly you can travel in Toronto, especially east-west because it’s relatively flat. Soon it could be even easier for people as far west as Bathurst to visit to Riverside by bike. The City is looking at installing protected bicycle lanes on Richmond and Adelaide in the next 1-2 years, and Cycle Toronto will host a group ride to support this project on Saturday, June 6th at 12pm from St. James Park (Adelaide and Jarvis).
Group Bike Ride June 6
The Richmond-Adelaide bike plan covers protected lanes from Bathurst to Sherbourne for now, but could be connected in the future to Eastern Avenue, carrying leisurely cross-town cyclists eastward to Broadview and beyond. It’s an exciting business prospect – Riverside is a great leisurely weekend bike destination.
For those curious about what else Toronto is thinking about for bike infrastructure, you can take a free guided bike tour next weekend, on Saturday, June 15th between 12-3pm, stopping at real-time bike projects in Toronto. The tours leave from Allan Gardens (Sherbourne/Carlton) and finish an hour later at Sugar Beach (Queens Quay). The Event is hosted by local Cycle Toronto groups between Downtown and the Don Valley in Wards 27 and 28. Check out the full Toronto Bike Month calendar for other fun events to get you cycling the city this summer, including some around Riverside.
The Riverside BIA has been supportive of efforts to expand BIXI and build uni-directional separated lanes on Richmond-Adelaide. Cycle Toronto is grateful that the BIA recognizes the economic and community value of improving cycling infrastructure in Toronto.
We invite everyone to join us, by cycling Riverside and the city this summer!
Cycle Toronto
Many Thanks to Gareth Davies of Cycle Toronto for joining the Riverside BIA at the Booth during the Riverdale Art Walk on June 1 and 2nd, and for this Guest Blog Post