How long is your regular daily commute?

[LNahid2000]

Haha I knew people would be curious about my bike commute...I'm pretty sure I'm like the only person who does this route. I bike straight up Yonge...Bathurst and Bayview are too far out of the way for me, and taking the Don Trail would almost double my distance each way.

Biking northbound in the morning is the hardest part due to the hills, and the setup at Yonge/401. It's very difficult to switch lanes right here when cars are trying to speed onto the 401 westbound, while I'm moving pretty slowly after just having conquered Hoggs Hollow. There there's this point where I have two lanes of 401 eastbound entering Yonge, and I need to get into the right lane.

Southbound is a lot easier since the route is downhill at the 401 merge points, so I can do 50km/h and keep up with traffic. On Friday I was able to get from Finch to Bloor in 31 minutes, which is a new record for me. Hoping to be able to do the trip in under 30 minutes as I get more fit!

Hoggs Hollow used to be very difficult for me, but it's getting easier and easier as I bike this route more. Other hills are nothing for me, now that I conquer Hoggs Hollow twice everyday.

 

[CDL.TO]

10 minute bike ride today, door-to-door, with a tailwind.

One nice thing about there being less car traffic like in Amsterdam is there's a lot fewer traffic lights. Intersections that would merit traffic lights in Toronto get away with simple yields here. My 1.8 km ride on a fairly major street (with a bus route and a streetcar route) has 2 traffic lights. For comparison, heading west on College from Ossington, in the same distance there's 5 traffic lights.

 

[James]

Every Friday evening I used to walk an hour one way from my house to a salsa dance studio across from Mel Lastman square, to avoid spending a TTC token. Now that the weather is a lot better, I do the same trip with a bicycle in about 15 min.

Cycling, salsa then more cycling? That sounds like a definite workout!

 

[James]

5-10 minute walk to work and the same back.

Now this is a commute.

...well, short of walking from your bedroom to your home office for those who work from home!

 

[welkie]

Bus + Subway from near York U to Eglinton. On a good day, like Sundays, when Finch Ave W has no traffic, the entire thing can be as little as 40 mins. On a bad day, about an hour.

 

[James]

1h25min to 1h35min, mostly on GO train.

Hamilton near Gage Park, to downtown Toronto. Drive the synchronized traffic lights of Main-King without a red light (6min front door to 403), then Aldershot GO (6min from 403 onramp to GO parking space, south parking lot), 1min walk to GOtrain a few min before depart, between 55min and 1h10min (Express trains if possible) and my downown tower is nearly right next to Union (a few mins). The Warerdown Rd construction is frequently slowing down my commute at the moment.

I would take downtown Hamilton trains if there was all day two way service at Hunter, as I often work late. Also very interested in Hamilton LRT which would pass near downtown GO, so my spouse can keep car, if I LRT to the downtown Hamilton GO station.

I traded a 10min walk commmute and 30min streetcar commute, for finally having a retirement fund I could afford (a.k.a. beautiful 4 bed house 2500sqft with backyard swimming pool with mortgage less than a 700sqft downtown Toroonto condo and less than typical 2 bedroom apartment rent!). First and last house I intend to own. Will someday eventually work local.

It's really interesting to hear about the downtown commutes from outside of the GTA. I know of a few people who do it too and they appreciate the time on the GO to do productive things as opposed to sitting in traffic, stuck and not being able to read, write emails, etc.

 

[WislaHD]

Haha I knew people would be curious about my bike commute...I'm pretty sure I'm like the only person who does this route. I bike straight up Yonge...Bathurst and Bayview are too far out of the way for me, and taking the Don Trail would almost double my distance each way.

Biking northbound in the morning is the hardest part due to the hills, and the setup at Yonge/401. It's very difficult to switch lanes right here when cars are trying to speed onto the 401 westbound, while I'm moving pretty slowly after just having conquered Hoggs Hollow. There there's this point where I have two lanes of 401 eastbound entering Yonge, and I need to get into the right lane.

Southbound is a lot easier since the route is downhill at the 401 merge points, so I can do 50km/h and keep up with traffic. On Friday I was able to get from Finch to Bloor in 31 minutes, which is a new record for me. Hoping to be able to do the trip in under 30 minutes as I get more fit!

Hoggs Hollow used to be very difficult for me, but it's getting easier and easier as I bike this route more. Other hills are nothing for me, now that I conquer Hoggs Hollow twice everyday.

Sounds like you would love this idea of a Yonge-401 Trail Bypass:

[video=youtube;UhPvI1j9XbU]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UhPvI1j9XbU[/video]

 

[LNahid2000]

Sounds like you would love this idea of a Yonge-401 Trail Bypass

I remember watching this video a year ago. The idea is brilliant, but I highly doubt this type of thing will ever happen in Toronto.

 

[James]

Midtowner here, 25-30 minutes to reach Dundas Station.

I walk to the bus stop in front of my home on Eglinton and wait no more than 30 seconds for a bus - because thats just how frequent buses on Eglinton are - followed by a 5 minute bus ride to Eglinton station.

Then it takes another 20 or so minutes to reach Dundas station, give or take 5 in case of delays on the subway, Eglinton construction delaying buses, or excessive bus bunching and unlucky timing.

I am skeptical if whether the Crosstown will actually decrease my commute times seeing as I will be waiting a few minutes for a train at Bayview rather than the ultra-frequent buses. But I won't mind that at all since I will be in an ultra-modern and nowhere near cramped subway car on Eglinton!

That's a pretty good commute as it is. I'd like to think that the Crosstown will yield positive results for both drivers and public transit commuters. I'm not a big fan of traversing Eglinton unless I absolutely have to so I'm welcoming the Crosstown at this point!

 

[WislaHD]

I remember watching this video a year ago. The idea is brilliant, but I highly doubt this type of thing will ever happen in Toronto.

Oh why do you say that! With enough civic willpower and a political champion I can see it happening!

Have the surrounding councilors alongside some other big municipal players like Wong-Tam on board and it is possible. In fact, I would even go as far and say such a project is a critically important investment for the city as it connects several key trail systems and impacts the pedestrian experience of inarguably our biggest and most important street!

That's a pretty good commute as it is. I'd like to think that the Crosstown will yield positive results for both drivers and public transit commuters. I'm not a big fan of traversing Eglinton unless I absolutely have to so I'm welcoming the Crosstown at this point!

Traversing the central stretch of Eglinton as a pedestrian really is not that bad even with the ongoing construction. If the subway->bus connection was not so simple, I would consider walking home from Yonge street during the summer months.

I look forward to the experience becoming on par or even better than St. Clair or Bloor after the subway opens and Eglinton Connects project is completed.

 

[LNahid2000]

Oh why do you say that! With enough civic willpower and a political champion I can see it happening!

Have the surrounding councilors alongside some other big municipal players like Wong-Tam on board and it is possible. In fact, I would even go as far and say such a project is a critically important investment for the city as it connects several key trail systems and impacts the pedestrian experience of inarguably our biggest and most important street!

Good point. Wong-Tam is my Councillor so I think I'll contact her as well as some other Councillors.

 

[PL1]

I live near Coxwell Stn and work at either Sunnybrook or Women's College hospital. In bad weather and winter, I take the TTC. It's 45-55 min to SB, 20-25 min to WCH. I usually bike in better weather to SB (25 min; I don't trust the bike parking at WCH). I also run (<45 min to SB, <35 min to WCH).

It does amuse me that running is faster than TTC to get to Sunnybrook.

 

[Electrify]

Would you ever consider getting a folding bike and bring it with you? That could save you a good 10 minutes and give you the flexibility to bike + bus too.

Not really. All YRT buses have racks on them, so the benefits would be negligible. While walking makes up the majority of my commute, by the time I get it out of storage and lock it up at the other end, any time savings would be minimal. I'm only about 4km away from work, and it usually only takes that long when I have to walk out to Yonge and Major Mac to catch the bus. When I leave my apartment I check my phone to see if I can catch a Newkirk-Red Maple or a Major Mackenzie bus, usually about 40% of the time I can take one of these and be at work in 30-35 minutes.

I also updated my transit travel time to about 40 minutes, as that is more accurate I feel (I try and get out the door 45 minutes before my shift, but usually find myself leaving about 40 before but still am able to get to work on time).

EDIT: I suppose I could keep my bike in my apartment, but it is dirty enough without having me bring in a road bike into it lol!

 

[DaveFlavanoid]

Do you bike straight up Yonge St? How challenging is your ride navigating around the vehicles during the morning rush hour?

Someone on another forum mentioned recently that they commute all the way to Sheppard from Bloor by bike, and I had the same thought.

So I actually tried doing it on an off day, and it is quite the nerve racking experience the further north you go. The closer you get to the 401, the faster people seem to drive, and l don't think drivers are used to seeing bikes up there either.

 

[the lemur]

My commute works out to about 20 mins whether I bike or take the subway, when you factor in the walking at either end.

I live near a stop on the Bathurst bus route, 2 stops from Bathurst station, although I usually just walk. From there I change at St George and get off at King.

By bike I can take various routes but it usually ends up being just under 6 km in 18-20 minutes to York & Bremner, plus 5 mins' walk from the bike station to the office.