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Toronto will add 70 new Bike Share stations this month, expanding the program to include stations in Etobicoke and Scarborough. The additional stations will bring the number to 270 stations with 2,750 bikes and 4,700 docks.
“I think [Bike Share] is working, and I think we have to turn our minds to the fact people are going to get around this city in different ways than was the case before,” Toronto Mayor John Tory said at a recent press conference to announce the expansion.
Also in attendance was Ontario Transportation Minister Steven Del Duca.
“I am personally committed, as the mayor, to making sure this program is expanded to all parts of the city,” Tory said.
Designed to enhance Toronto’s public transit and transportation network, the new Bike Share locations will be close to TTC subway stations and streetcar stops.
The federal government and the City of Toronto will each contribute $1.25M toward 50 Bike Share stations. The city will add an additional $1.5M to fund 20 stations for the system, which has struggled to catch on in Toronto.
Last year, the province provided $4.9M to the Toronto Parking Authority to double the size of its network, adding 80 new Bike Share stations and 800 new bikes in downtown Toronto.
Bike Share Toronto, which has nearly 9,000 active members, said in a press release there were 110,096 rides on the system in May — nearly double the number at the same time last year. In July, Bike Share reports the program hit a single-day record with nearly 11,000 rides.
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