By Yonge Street Media
May 19, 2010

Cycling in Toronto will soon become a more convenient option as the city prepares to launch a Toronto-wide bike sharing program. As reported by the Toronto Star, the first phase of the program, which would include 1,000 bicycles and 80 docking stations, is expected to be operational by May 1st 2011.

"In a 33-8 vote, city council authorized staff to sign a deal with a Montreal company that will initially supply 1,000 bicycles to be parked at 80 docking stations spaced 300 metres apart."

"Membership fees haven't been finalized but are expected to be $78 a year, $28 a month, or $5 a day, allowing members to take a bike out whenever they want, up to 30 minutes at a time, for no extra charge."

"The program, called Bixi (bicycle-taxi), was popular when it rolled out in Montreal last year with 3,000 bikes and 300 stations. It's expected to be a hit here as well. The Canadian-made bikes are described as rugged and lightweight, with a rack that can handle a briefcase or a case of beer."

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original source the Toronto Star

From Toronto's Vital Signs®
Less than 1% of Toronto's workforce commutes by bicycle. Furthermore, a comparison between the Toronto Region (27 people/ha) and other metropolitan areas shows that densely populated European cities like Madrid (74 people/ha) and Berlin (39 people/ha) have dramatically higher levels of public transit, walking and cycling, while sparsely populated US regions like Denver (15 people/ha) and Atlanta (6.8 people/ha) depend almost entirely on private motorized transportation.