Metrolinx recently completed the Early Station Improvements project.

One of the key new features is secure bike parking rooms at a dozen GO stations, including:

• East Gwillimbury
• Bradford
• Weston
• Scarborough
• Guildwood
• Pickering
• Whitby
• Burlington
• West Harbour
• Streetsville
• Centennial
• Stouffville

The Pickering, Centennial and East Gwillimbury bike rooms are already open, so customers at these stations can reserve a bike space and get to GO on two wheels with a secure parking option.

Lots to think about in supporting cycling

Many factors come into play when determining what sort of bike amenities are needed at each GO station.

Metrolinx considers details like whether the area around the station is conducive to biking, the local road layout, nearby land uses and whether or not the municipality already has bike infrastructure in place.

Some locations will include a mix of secure bike rooms and first-come-first-served, covered, outdoor parking.

Metrolinx planners take a careful approach to station access

Metrolinx also puts a lot of work into station access – or how customers get to and from GO stations.

Station access planning plays a key role in designing and upgrading stations and amenities, and Metrolinx’s Stations Planning team has a 20-year Station Access Plan, which receives an update every five years, and supports Metrolinx’s planners in adapting to changes in GO service, local ridership levels, commuting patterns, municipal infrastructure, and more to help manage the timing of future upgrades.

A central part of the planning process is modelling the use patterns of GO stations.

This includes looking at each station’s ridership projections, and what municipalities have planned for station areas and understanding the physical area around the stations.

Customer survey responses also help Metrolinx understand current patterns and future changes in customers’ travel modes.

Transit priority stations have multiple, frequent, local transit connections. Multi-modal priority stations are usually best accessed by car or transit.

Active transportation priority stations are easier to access by bike or on foot, often in denser neighbourhoods and might have cycling infrastructure nearby that makes biking a more attractive choice.

While a large majority of customers still take a car or transit to a GO station, Metrolinx expects a substantial increase in the number of customers arriving by bike. By giving customers a variety of options to get to and from GO stations, Metrolinx has put a focus on reducing congestion, encouraging transit use and helping promote active transportation.