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What better way to see all the city has to offer than from your bike?

“There is a huge network of trails that allow people to explore the city,” said Ward 35 (Scarborough Southwest) Councillor Adrian Heaps, who also serves as chair of the Toronto Cycling Advisory Committee.

To date, 380 kilometres of bike network has been completed in Toronto. The network consists of bicycle lanes, off-road paths and signed shared roadways.

Heaps, who is an avid cyclist, said the Martin Goodman Trail, which runs along the south side of Lake Shore Boulevard, and the Taylor Creek Park, which extends eastward from the Don River Valley Trail and southeast from the Wilket Creek Trail, are among his favorite cycling spots in Toronto.

“For anyone who wants to set out tomorrow they could ride 75 or 80 (kilometres) cycling on a bike path network without seeing a car,” Heaps said. “Along Taylor Park you wouldn’t know you were in the city.”

The City of Toronto has a bike plan that sets out to double the number of individual bicycle trips people take by 2011 and decrease the number of cycling collisions and injuries.

A key component of this plan is the development of the bikeway network. Eventually the plan will consist of 500 kilometres of bike lanes, 300 kilometres of off-road paths and 300 kilometres of signed shared roadway.

“We have lots of things percolating to make our city bike-friendly,” Heaps said.  

Also included in the City’s plan is bike storage and increased signage.

The bike network is detailed in the free 2008 Toronto Cycling Map, which is available at bike shops throughout the city and at the front desk at City Hall. For people who are not familiar with the rules of biking, the map also details, complete with illustrations, cycling and the law, hand signals and the correct way to wear a helmet.