Meet Lee, 

What station do you consider to be your “home station”? Are there other stations that are key to your use patterns and helping you get around the city?

Until late last year it was Royal York / Lakeshore. Yea!!!!…thanks to the Bike Stare Toronto expansion my home station is now Second Street / Lakeshore. This makes trips a little faster, especially westbound!

There are lots of other station key to my use patters! Because of my work with clients, I am all over the city in somewhat random pattern. I try to go by bike often for work and aim for 90% of errands and leisure visits by bike-sharing, sometimes combined with TTC. Lake Shore/Twenty Fourth (for coffee at Terminal 3 Coffee Roasters). Humber College (the skating rink and community centre) Twelfth St/Thirteenth Street (library), Judson St/Royal York (Mimico GO), Willingdon Blvd/Bloor St W (Royal York subway), Amos Waites park (Birds and Beans Coffee), all the High Park stations, Union Station, St. Andrews Park, St George/Bloor, Danforth Ave/Coxwell, Bay/Bloor.

What would you consider to be the “local gems” or spots you love to frequent in your community using Bike Share? 

Terminal 3 Coffee in Long Branch! Birds and Beans Coffee in Mimico! Sydney Grind Coffee (Sixth Street/ Lake Shore Blvd W), Libraries. Sam Smith Park (Humber College). Local retail in Mimico both on Royal York and Lake Shore Blvd W.

What do you love the most about using Bike Share and what value do you find in using the system?

I love the flexibility that Bike Share Toronto gives me to take the TTC if the weather turns bad or if I just get tired (since I live about 14k from downtown). It’s particularly handy if I have several places to be so I don’t have to keep moving my own bike. I can just walk and take a bike closest to my final destination. Also, I appreciate that there are always working lights on the bikes at night. Cycling is often the fastest way to get around the city so there is great value in bike-sharing now that there are so many stations and the e-bikes (for going uphill and farther). Also, I love the camaraderie which is generally true of biking…I have chatted with so many people while waiting at intersections and I have enjoyed helping people get going on their first bike-share rides as I have been docking/undocking a bike.

What made you start riding with Bike Share Toronto?

I have been using Bike Share Toronto since the moment it landed in Toronto. I have always loved to cycle and the faster speed and ease it allows for getting around the city but I have not always been a huge fan of lugging my own bike around… especially if I have multiple stops or I am uncertain about weather conditions or timing of going home. My best tip is to get an annual pass. It’s the best! Many, many times I have used bike-sharing over taking my car or TTC because of having that membership. Use the app on a phone for convenience and speed of getting bikes in and out from the dock but ALWAYS have your membership card with you in case your phone dies or there is a glitch in cell service.

Are you a winter rider and do you have any tips for the Bike Share community?

I am a dedicated winter rider. Always have a helmet with you as conditions can be more uncertain. I got myself a winter one that has a visor to come down over my face and large enough to put multiple layers underneath. Head, hands, and feet get the coldest. Be prepared for that. Because I live in the west end, I’ll combine more bike/TTC trips if it is really cold. For example, I’ll ride to the GO train or the subway. This is typically faster than using bus or streetcar to get to those transportation nodes.