A1 - ring and post
4th and latest generation "ring and post" - Sumach & Dundas
(updated March 01, 2021)
Toronto's multi-rack design (see B1) does not meet any of these criteria. Click on the city link for their complete guidelines.
4th and latest generation "ring and post" - Sumach & Dundas
a few have been painted - Dundas & Euclid
poor installation: rings are spaced too widely (4 feet apart), so end rings are too close to building/stairs, which means only 1 side of bike ring can be used - Shuter & Dalhousie
all versions of bike ring suseptible to bending (by trucks/cars which drive up onto sidewalk) - Queen & Sackville
initial version of bike ring susseptible to ring being broken off by vandal/bike thief - Park Road & Bloor
stainless steel - King & Frederick
limited number of these along Yonge, between Wellesley and King (Yonge BIA ?); can only lock to 1 side (since ring attached to thick pole) - Yonge & Richmond
variant of bike ring (ring welded onto post); limited number on Wellington, Yonge, Front (in vicinity of Brookfield Place) - Yonge & Wellington
vertical "leg" welded onto ring; may be suseptible to breaking (see parabola, below); light-weight steel (bike rack easily cut?) - Sherbourne & Lakeshore, also used at King & Widmer, Bay & St. Joseph
poor design: risk that bike wheel gets bent - see next photo; only 1 contact point (can only lock frame and 1 wheel to rack); "vertically staggered bike rack to prevent pedal and handlebar tangles when full", but accomodates fewer than 8 bikes if adjacent bike has wide baskets/carriers; this design used for some on-street corrals; Parks & Rec plans to implement this same bike rack design in 2017-18 - King & John
bike stand rests against bike wheel only (risk that bike wheel gets bent)
can only lock both wheels when bike locked to end of rack
minor differences from previous design:angled, so bikes take up less depth on the sidewalk; no "trough" for bike wheel, so adjacent spots not vertically staggered; bike stand rests against bike wheel only (risk that bike wheel gets bent) - Ossington & Bloor
bike stand rests against bike wheel only (risk that bike wheel gets bent)
only 1 contact point (can only lock frame and 1 wheel to rack) - Harbord & Euclid
- Christie & Bloor
too short to permit locking both wheels with U locks - Queen & Cowan
in theory could accomodate 3 bikes (difficult to fit bike peadals inside "middle" spot); light-weight steel (bike rack easily cut?) - Sackville & Shuter
base welded onto parabola; may be suseptible to breaking (see next photo); light-weight steel (bike rack easily cut) - Elm & Elizabeth
broken weld at base of parabola bike rack shown in previous photo, likely due to vandalism (once weld broken on both sides, bike easily stolen)
Yonge BIA - Yonge & Grosvenor
poor installation: rack located too close to garden curb, making it difficult to lock both wheels; rack bolted to pavement (may become loose eventually) - Bay & Dundas
poor installation: rack installed sideways, so does not provide two points of contact with bike - Yonge & Gould
poor design: only 1 contact point (can only lock frame and 1 wheel to rack), thickness of post makes it difficult to use U lock, Bloor-Yorkville BIA - Church & Bloor
only 1 contact point (can only lock frame and 1 wheel to rack) - King & John
can only lock both wheels when bike locked to end of rack
thickness of cast metal bike rack makes it difficult to use U lock - Queen & Cowan
thickness of cast metal bike rack makes it difficult to use U lock
bike stand rests against bike wheel only (risk that bike wheel gets bent), difficult to lock frame to bike rack - Yonge & St. Mary
4 rings, each 2 feet apart: 1 feet per bike (when parked on both sides of ring) - Sackville & Dundas
4 rings, each 3 feet apart: 1.5 feet per bike - Sumach & Dundas
accomodates 5 bikes, 6.5 feet long: 1.34 feet per bike - New City Hall
each 2 feet apart: 1 feet per bike - Albert & Bay
The City of Toronto installs bicycle locking rings on public right-of-way which has a minimum pedestrian clearway width of 2.5 metres. Locations suggested by the public will be considered, however the City reserves the right to vet all submissions. For your information, it will take approximately one year upon request to installation, if deemed feasible. Bicycle locking rings which are approved are installed free of charge.
Cyclists should be aware that rusty and damaged bicycles which have been left on bicycle locking rings may be tagged for removal. Once a bicycle has been tagged, its owner has 7 days to remove it. Solid Waste will remove the bicycles and locks permanently in order to clear the public right-of-way and maintain availability of short-term bicycle parking.
A 24 hour limit for using a bike ring seems reasonable, and such a restriction existed until 2012, when an exemption was made - see page 35 (section 743-9 P, And R) of this PDF: Toronto Municipal Code, Chapter 743, Use of Streets And Sidewalks. It is questionable whether "bike storage" is an appropriate use of bike rings. In many areas of downtown, bike rings are in short supply and permitting "bike storage" (parking for several days) at bike rings makes it even less likely that the city can come close to satisfying peak demand for short term parking. Visually, it's difficult to distinguish between long-term "bike storage" and an abandoned bike, and so currently, many abandoned bikes remain at bike rings for 6-12 months before someone requests removal.