Canadian cities don’t have a great cycling reputation. But some neighbourhoods have more than 20% of commuters on bicycle. Here is the list of the top 11.

This article is based on 2011 census data

An updated article based on 2016 census data is available.

Canadian Neighbourhood Commute Series

Part 1 – Cycling

This is the first of a series looking at Canadian urban transportation stats. For this list, the 2011 census was reviewed to find out which Canadian neighbourhoods have the highest proportion of commuter cycling. Part 2 of the series looks at walking.

Cycling – Top 11 Neighbourhoods for Commuting by Bike

Okay, we’ll add one more to the list. 11 instead of 10. Cities across Canada have been beefing up policy to increase cycling. In particular, for non-recreational use such as commuting. The benefits have been well documented. Reduced emissions, better health, lower spending needs for vehicle infrastructure. Cycling has a huge role to play in the future of urban form.

Below is the list of the top 11 neighbourhoods. They all have somewhat amenable demographics. Still, they don’t have gold stamped cycling infrastructure like Dutch or Danish cities.

This neighbourhood is located close to the historic district (shown in the photo). While other parts are quite hilly, this area is less so. It doesn’t have much in terms of cycling infrastructure. Still, the grid, medium density land uses, traffic levels, and proximity to other important parts of the city make cycling a decent choice for getting around.

This neighbourhood, located east of downtown Vancouver, provides cyclists with a solid grid network. But what makes it special for cyclists are the intersections closed to vehicle traffic. Well, not exactly closed. They call them Neighbourhood Greenways. Vehicles are forced to take circuitous routes through the neighbourhood. This discourages fast moving commuter traffic and leaves streets relatively empty for easy cycling. Vancouver is arguably the first city in Canada to take this concept to the next level.

9. Jubilee and Halifax Common (Halifax, Nova Scotia)

14.94% commute by bike

Like many on this list, cycling infrastructure isn’t fantastic. They have a solid grid network with some cycling lanes and pathways provided here and there. That said, this neighbourhood is in the heart of the city. A compact area with amenities accessible in close proximity.

8. Wolseley East (Winnipeg, Manitoba)

This neighbourhood is number 8 right now. But you could see it become number one in Canada soon. The east end of Wolseley has some solid cycling routes already. Grades are easy and the area is close to downtown. Where there are no cycling lanes or paths, it is still relatively easy to bike along the tree covered street grid.

A large part of the city already has good bones for cycling. What gives it so much more potential is that downtown streets have more redevelopment land than many cities. And generally, they have wider downtown roads relative to other cities in its size category. They also have a new Bus Rapid Transit system with attractive bike parking areas. That could help numbers rise with people biking to the new line before heading to their destination. Lastly, the Wolseley area will be getting a direct protected bike connection to downtown very shortly.

It will be interesting to see where this neighbourhood places in a few years. Now if they could just do something about their long arctic winters.

7. Kitsilano (Vancouver, British Columbia)

Kitsilano has so many things going for it from a cyclist point of view. With a solid grid network to start, routes for cyclists are primarily along neighbourhood streets. Streets where vehicle traffic volumes and speeds are low. Similar to Grandview-Woodland, the bike network in Kitsilano uses a number of features to keep cyclists comfortable on the road. It also has a direct link with the downtown on protected bike lanes along Burrard and Hornby streets.

6. The Glebe and Old Ottawa East (Ottawa, Ontario)

The Glebe and Old Ottawa East lie at the Rideau River and the Rideau Canal. South of the central part of the city. Both waterways provide cyclists with easy access to the center. And with the new Laurier downtown separated cycling lanes, the reach of cyclists from this area of town has only expanded. Ottawa is blessed with safe cycling routes and this part of the city benefits more than any other at the moment. Depending on where you are in this area, bike modal share ranges from 16 to 19%.

5. Le Plateau – Mont Royal (Montreal, Quebec)

This is not one neighbourhood, but many. It is one the largest areas of any city in Canada where cycling is a prominent way of commuting. Depending on where you are in this area of the city, the percent of cycling trips ranges from 16 to 22%. It’s one of the urban districts in the country where you have a combination of compact / mixed land uses, a street grid, and many cycling facilities. The percentage of cyclists isn’t the highest in Canada. Still, some could argue that it is the most bikeable place in the country.

4. Koreatown and University (Toronto, Ontario)

Like Le Plateau-Mont Royal, this is not a neighbourhood, but a collection of communities. It includes Seaton Village, Bikford Park, Palmerston, Harbord Village, University of Toronto, Koreatown, and the Annex. It’s a huge area. There are a high number of students living in the area where many trip destinations are within bikable distances. This part of the city is perhaps one of the largest mixed use urban areas in the country.

Some may say that cycling modal share is high in this part of the city because transit options are less competitive and walking is less practical for trip distances greater than 2 km. That said, a number of the paths and streets within the University area are easy to cycle along.

3. Fairfield and Fernwood (Victoria, British Columbia)

These neighbourhoods are located just east of the downtown area with many trip destinations close by. Streets are calm and the city has an established cycling culture.



Other than a dense mixed use urban fabric, Little Portugal is not really a place you might associate with cycling. Yet about 1 in 5 people bike for their commute. One argument could be that taking public transportation is slower than riding. And distances are too far to walk. The fact that this area is number two in the country is perhaps more reflective of the demographics than actual bikability.

1. Studio District (Toronto, Ontario)

This is perhaps the most controversial inclusion on the list. Similar to Little Portugal, this neighbourhood east of downtown doesn’t make sense from a bikability perspective. But they do have the Lakeshore route to connect people to downtown and the streets in this small residential area have limited car traffic and some bike lanes. Public transit isn’t a great option for commuting into the core either. If this community is already above 20% for cycling modal share, think about what significant improvements could do. Check out Toronto’s cycling map for more information.

*** Of note, Toronto Island was left out of the list above due to the high proportion of non-work related activity and the lack of inherent benefit for using other modes of travel (small sized island with no road connection to mainland). That said, census data indicated that 34.92% of trips on the island are by bike which would make it Canada’s top neighbourhood in terms of cycling commute proportions.***

A long way to go

These neighbourhoods are a far cry from others around the world. 60% of residents in central Copenhagen use their bike for commuting. Some of the communities above are moving ahead. Some are just lucky that people are willing to brave the streets.

[Sources / Literature: Statistics Canada 2011 Census data]