Sharing my cycling experiences north of Toronto (in York Region and beyond, aka the 905), from bike commuting, to family leisure rides, to road touring, to mountain biking, and everything in between. Opinions are my own. Ride on!
Here are a few highlights from my ride which was part of the York Region Cycling Tour Route called Group of Seven Trails. Visit www.york.ca/cycling for more details or see the route at RidewithGPS.
Magnotta winery is on Chrislea Road north of Portage Parkway
Marketlane is a historic part of Woodbridge has many shops, restaurants, and a farmers market
Clarence Road is quite scenic as it passes a golf course
I went for a ride with my family looking for some geocaches. We ended up finding 4 out of 5 which is pretty good. We'll have to go back some time to get others further south along the Bartley Smith Greenway trail.
Rutherford GO Train Station #BiketoGO
Bartley Smith Greenway south of Rutherford Road in Vaughan
Highway 400 cuts the City of Vaughan in two. It is a challenge to cross by bike or on foot. It can be done, but sadly, the vast majority wouldn't even think of it. There is just too much high speed traffic, and crossing the ramps are deemed too risky. I think crossing Hwy 400 is the biggest reason preventing more people to ride bikes in Vaughan.
Here's a video of one of my bike rides across Hwy 400 using Major Mackenzie Dr. It took about 20 minutes with my 7 year old son on a trail-a-bike attached to my bike. It's about the same time as driving, but a lot more fun for both of us. (video shows Major Mackenzie from 9:17 to 13:00)
Here's a cycling map showing the Hwy 400 crossings in urban areas in Vaughan. There are currently six (Teston, Major Mackenzie, Rutherford, Langstaff, Portage Parkway and Hwy 7).
Major Mackenzie, Rutherford, and Hwy 7 are full Parclo A4 highway interchanges with ramps to cross, and not appropriate for children.
Langstaff and Teston are partial interchanges so perhaps slightly better than the others.
Portage Parkway is the only midblock crossing. There is a narrow shoulder on the bridge, but no cycling infrastructure connecting to it. There are also signs that say cyclists must dismount and walk across. They are intended for sidewalk cyclists, since the railing heights don't meet the 1.37m high standard for cyclists. But they are misleading: when I first saw them, it looked like they were for road cyclists too.
Portage Parkway - cyclist dismount sign
I'd like to highlight five potential crossing improvements shown in red circles above.
1. Canada Drive - America Avenue midblock crossing (aka North Maple Community Bridge). The City did an Environmental Assessment a few years ago.
2. Major Mackenzie - York Region is undertaking an EA to look at options to improve the Hwy 400 - Jane. One option being considered in a separate pedestrian/cycling bridge on the south side of Major Mackenzie, from the carpool/GO parking lot on the west, to a future transit hub near wonderland on the east. A pedestrian/cyclist underpass is already planned to get from wonderland/transit hub to the future hospital.
3. Ashberry Road - Wonderland Drive midblock crossing - shown the York Region's Transportation Master Plan as a long-term initiative (15+ years away)
4. Vaughan Mills Secondary Plan - shows a pedestrian crossing over Hwy 400 between Rutherford Road and Bass Pro Mills Drive
5. Highway 7 crossing - as part of the Vivanext Rapidway project, there will be a protected cycling/walking path down the centre of Highway 7 across the Highway 400 interchange, similar to this example in New York City. It bypasses the highway ramps on the outsides. Construction is expected to be complete in 2019.
These five transformative projects will give people active transportation options in a City that is in desperate need of them. We will need all levels of government working together, a groundswell of support from residents, and the political will to make it happen. In Markham and Richmond Hill, there are four Hwy 404 midblock crossings with cycling infrastructure moving forward including one under construction north of Hwy 7. The Hwy 7 & 400 project is underway in Vaughan, but we need action on those 4 projects to the north as well. Lets make the City of Vaughan and York Region people-centred, again.
The Regional Municipality of York invites you to enter the first ever cycling photo contest. Share your favourite cycling snapshots highlighting York Region’s natural beauty, diversity, infrastructure and many tourist attractions.
We are looking for cycling related photos that include you and your bike in varied settings:
Cycling with friends and family
Cycling clubs
On-road bike lanes and off-road paths
Rural and urban scenes
Places to visit
Upload your best photos of cycling in York Region for a chance to WIN a bike shop gift card and have your photo featured in the 2017 York Region Cycling Calendar.
The climb north or south on Weston Road
to Strawberry Hill Trail. A beautiful view of Toronto from the top of the Moraine.
Nashville Rdup to Islington into Kleinburg.
Kettleby climbing out of the village to Keele Street
Lake Wilcox
Park in Richmond Hill. There is a dedicated path going around the one end of
the lake. It is multi-use, but it is free of cars and quite pretty.
Ninth Line and
Lakeshore Road around Musselman's Lake.
The York Region Cycling Tour Map (New in 2016) provides ideas for exploring York Region by bike, from ten tour routes to mountain biking, BMX and family cycling options.
I intend on biking all ten routes this year, and decided to start with the 25 km Markham Town and Trail.
Start your ride amidst the exotic sights, sounds and aromas of Pacific Mall, the largest Chinese indoor mall in North America. Nearby is the gorgeous and quaint village of Unionville. At the eastern end of the loop is the Milne Dam Conservation Park. The water dam and mill attracted mass settlement creating the Village (now City) of Markham. This stretch of lush parkland along the Rouge River Valley offers great migratory bird watching. Or if BMX or MTB riding excites you, take a short detour to Joyride 150, Canada's first indoor bike park.
Ride Rating: Recreational cyclist – mix of trails and quiet streets with mixed traffic on a few busier streets (Family/leisure option – ride the Rouge Valley Trail from Main Street Unionville (Victoria Street) to Milne Dam Conservation Area)
Approaching Markham Centre, Birchmount at Entreprise Dr
Markham PanAm Centre (site of badminton, table tennis, water polo)
Main Street Unionville
Rouge Valley Trail
New trail crossing at McCowan to Milne Dam Conservation Park
Milne Dam Conservation Area
Main Street Markham
Carlton St
Toogood Pond
Village Parkway
Pacific Mall
It was a pleasant ride with a good variety to see along trail and streets. Could use some better wayfinding along the trail sections. I need to go back and spend more time along those Main Streets to sample some culinary treats!
On May 4th, 2016, about 100 high school students, teachers, and decision-makers came together at the Markham Pan Am Centre for the first York Region Youth Bike Summit to talk about the future of cycling. The theme was "your vision, your future". Justin Jones from the Share the Road Cycling Coalition opened the day by challenging participants to make a difference in their school and community.
Participants were asked....
The Environmental Club at St. Robert CHS were won the cycling video contest for this submission:
The following were recognized for their contributions to cycling in York Region
Cycling Leader Award - Nelson Mahmoudi, Newmarket High School
Cycling Group Award - York Mountain Biking Association
Bike-friendly High School - St. Robert Catholic High School
Olympian Isabelle Turcotte Baird gave an inspirational talk about the power of goal setting and perseverance.
Several interactive workshops were held throughout the day
School Bike Clubs and More
Design Your Dream Street
Advocacy 101
Cycling Jeopardy
Cycling Skills Training
Exhibitors
Rock the Bike
York Region Public Health
York Region Transit / Viva
Real Deal Racing
York Mountain Biking Association
Summit Cycle Bike Shop
For me, the Youth Bike Summit was a chance to hear perspectives from high school students. It was refreshing to meet teens interested in building bike racks at their school, or starting a bike club, or asking for protected bike lanes on Highway 7. They get that cycling can be transformational! I left the conference with a renewed sense of optimism that this generation of youth will help to shape a brighter future.
