Toronto · intersection

Cowan & Melbourne

Cowan Ave & Melbourne Ave · Toronto, Ontario · South Parkdale · Ward 4, Parkdale-High Park

In South Parkdale, in central Toronto, Cowan & Melbourne is a low-volume local intersection, with more people on foot than in cars and a well-used cycling route through it. It has a school within 250 m and parks at the corner. Nearby: 11 TTC routes within a kilometre. Its serious-injury record over the last decade is clean.

Traffic volume
784
vehicles · 8-hour count, Aug 3, 2016
956 pedestrians · 343 cyclists
Collisions
11
police-reported, any severity · 2016–2025
0 with an injury · 4 property damage · #4195 of 5,508
KSI collisions
0
killed or seriously injured · 2016–2025
none in the window
Red-light camera
None
not on the City's camera list
Transit
0
TTC stops within 100 m
3 streetcar routes · 4 bus routes within 1 km
Cycling
No bikeway
nothing on the City cycling network here
Bike Share: 34 docks within 150 m

Across the 8-hour count, traffic averaged roughly 100 vehicles an hour, 8% of the median counted intersection. Pedestrians outnumber vehicles 1.2 to 1 — rare for a Toronto intersection, where the median is one pedestrian for every 13 vehicles. Cyclists were 43.8% of vehicle volume, about 56× the typical share. On average 1.1 collisions a year were reported here in 2016–2025 — well below the median of 31 for the decade. None of them involved a death or serious injury.

Map

Everything on this page, plotted around the node — filter the layers to see one thing at a time

Layers click a category to show or hide it · None then one category to see it alone
Cowan & Melbourne

Getting here

Transit within 1 km, cycling at the corner, and what's within a 1.5 km walk

Transit & cycling

Streetcar
501504508 nearest 190 m
TTC bus
402294763 nearest 207 m
Express
929
Blue Night
301304329
Nearest stops
8 surface stops within 300 m
Cycling
no bikeway on the City cycling network touches this intersection
Bike Share
Dunn Ave / Queen St W 124 m · 15 docks · 27 stations, 488 docks within 1 km

Straight-line distances to the nearest stop or station entrance in each agency's current schedule feed, including temporary diversions.

Within walking distance 1.5 km

Schools (13)
  • Holy Family Catholic Elementary SchoolEnglish Separate · 206 m
  • Parkdale Collegiate InstituteEnglish Public · 292 m
  • Dr Rita Cox - Kina Minagok Public SchoolEnglish Public · 422 m
  • Parkdale Jr & Sr Public SchoolEnglish Public · 525 m
  • Mary Mother of God SchoolPrivate · 726 m
  • Alexander Muir Gladstone Ave & the GroveEnglish Public · 762 m
  • and 7 more
Parks (34)
Library
  • Toronto Public Library Parkdale branch178 m
  • Toronto Public Library High Park branch1.5 km
Places of interest
  • The Theatre CentrePerforming Arts · 825 m
  • Medieval Times Dinner and TournamentPerforming Arts · 1 km
  • Queen Elizabeth TheatrePerforming Arts · 1.2 km
  • BMO FieldSports / Entertainment Venue · 1.3 km
  • Coca-Cola Coliseum (formerly Ricoh Coliseum)Sports / Entertainment Venue · 1.5 km

Around the corner

Food premises, public washrooms, child care and emergency services — distances are straight-line from the node

Restaurants & food

There are 46 restaurants, cafés and takeouts within 300 m of the corner, plus 7 grocery and convenience stores, and 228 eating places within a kilometre — 3.1× the median for a Toronto intersection. The nearest is Aangen - Cowan Kitchen, 120 m away, which passed its last DineSafe inspection in January 2026.

Restaurants & cafés46 within 300 m · 228 within 1 km
Grocery & convenience7 within 300 m · 47 within 1 km
Nearest food premisesDistanceLatest DineSafe inspection
Aangen - Cowan Kitchen · 201 Cowan Ave120 mPassed, Jan 2026
Nancy Brown Kitchen · 201 Cowan Ave120 mPassed, Sep 2025 · 1 infraction
Masaryk Cowan CRC -Kitchen # 1 · 220 Cowan Ave129 mPassed, Aug 2026
Masaryk Cowan CRC -Kitchen # 2 · 220 Cowan Ave129 mPassed, Jan 2026 · 1 infraction
Bailey House · 1330 King St W166 mPassed, Jan 2026 · 1 infraction
The Sand Trap Golf Simulator and Lounge · 1306 King St W176 mPassed, Mar 2026
Domino's Pizza · 1313 King St W189 mPassed, Jun 2026
Pharmacy Bar · 1318 King St W190 mPassed, Sep 2025

Every establishment Toronto Public Health inspects under DineSafe, screened by name to leave out kitchens inside schools, care homes and offices. A conditional pass means infractions had to be fixed by a follow-up visit, not that the premises is closed.

Washrooms & water

The nearest public washroom is Masaryk-Cowan Community Recreation Centre Washroom, 126 m away, View centre hours. A drinking fountain is 71 m away at Masaryk Park.

  • Masaryk-Cowan Community Recreation Centre Washroom · 220 Cowan Ave
    View centre hours
    126 m
  • Automated public toilet, 1275 Lake Shore Blvd W
    24 hours · accessible
    803 m
  • Mary McCormick Recreation Centre Washroom · 66 Sheridan Ave
    View centre hours
    861 m
Drinking water
Masaryk Park drinking fountain · 71 m; Melbourne Avenue Parkette drinking fountain · 319 m

Park washrooms, washrooms in City buildings and automated street toilets, with hours and status as the City publishes them (park washrooms are seasonal). Malls, shops and TTC stations are not included.

Child care

Ten licensed child care centres within a kilometre offer 820 spaces; eight accept City fee subsidy. The nearest is Holy Family Childcare Centre-Queen Victoria (206 m, 25 spaces, school age).

Within 1 km10 centres · 820 spaces
Fee subsidy8 of 10
  • Holy Family Childcare Centre-Queen Victoria · 141 Close Ave
    25 spaces · school age · fee subsidy · $10-a-day
    206 m
  • Sunflower House · 162 Dunn Ave
    44 spaces · infant, toddler, preschool · fee subsidy · $10-a-day
    310 m
  • Parkdale Early Learning Centre - Cdi - 119 Close Ave. · 119 Close Ave
    49 spaces · infant, toddler, preschool · fee subsidy · $10-a-day
    323 m
  • Bonaventure Child Care Centre · 295 Dufferin St
    67 spaces · infant, toddler, preschool · fee subsidy · $10-a-day
    415 m

Licensed centres only; spaces are licensed capacity, not vacancies.

Emergency services

The nearest fire hall is Fire Station 426 (793 m), the nearest police station 14 Division (1.4 km) and the nearest ambulance station 327 m away.

FireFire Station 426 · 793 m140 Lansdowne Ave
Police14 Division · 1.4 km350 Dovercourt Road
AmbulanceAmbulance Station 37 · 327 m1288 Queen St W

Nearest station by straight line — not a response time, and not necessarily the station that would answer a call.

Apartment buildings nearby

RentSafeTO-registered rental buildings within 1 km, with the City's latest evaluation score

123 registered apartment buildings with 10,005 rental units stand within a kilometre of the corner, 21 of them social or Toronto Community Housing — 5.3× the median for a Toronto intersection. The nearest is 176 Cowan Ave (64 m, 127 units, 8 storeys, built 1983), which scored 100 out of 100 at its June 2025 RentSafeTO evaluation. One building of the 123 scored below 70; the average is 90, about the citywide norm. The Landlord and Tenant Board issued 329 final orders naming these buildings in the latest half-year of its catalogue, and 74 fire-code violations are open across them.

Registered buildings123 · 10,005 units · 21 social housing
RentSafeTO score90 average · 1 below 70
LTB orders, Jan 2026 – Jun 2026329 across the 123
Open fire-code violations74
Tallest35 storeys
Nearest buildingsUnitsStoreysBuiltScoreLTB ordersDistance
176 Cowan Avesocial housing · Community First Developments Inc.12781983100 · Jun 20250 · 2 fire64 m
245 Dunn AveToronto Community Housing · Toronto Community Housing Corporation38420197184 · Sep 20243 · 2 fire123 m
12 Elm Grove Ave · Dms Property Management334196891 · Jun 20251136 m
240 Dunn Avesocial housing · Howard & Associates725199296 · Sep 20240155 m
1340 King St W · Anchor Property Managers Inc.1641890100 · Jul 20260198 m
3 Elm Grove Ave · Tga Management Services123193193 · Jul 20260206 m
1 Elm Grove Ave123193184 · Jul 20260216 m
1339 King St Wsocial housing · Parkdale United Church Foundation103192090 · Jul 20240219 m

The City's RentSafeTO register — rental apartment buildings of three or more storeys and ten or more units — with the score from each building's latest City evaluation (out of 100; poor scores trigger a full audit). LTB orders are final Landlord and Tenant Board orders naming the address (Jan 2026 – Jun 2026); fire-code violations are open items in Toronto Fire Services' inspection data. Each building links to its full record on LandlordReport. Condominiums and houses are not registered.

Parking

Every mapped lot within 2 km, Green P with peak occupancy, City EV charging and bike parking

All parking lots489 lots · ≈23,460 spaces · 70.4 ha
Within 500 m87 lots · ≈2,150 spaces
Green P (public)16 car parks · about 1,431 spaces
EV charging (City)1224 KING ST W · 344 m · 2 Level 2 ports
Bike parking98 post-and-rings within 300 m · racks for 8 bikes within 600 m
Green P car parkDistanceSpacesPeak occupancy
1325 Queen St W · Surface182 m3294% (Q1 2026)
14 Fuller Ave · Surface585 m4247% (Q1 2026)
1155 King Street West · Surface708 m269 *
45 Abell St · Garage733 m12460% (Q1 2026)
1275 Lakeshore Blvd. W. (Parks) · Surface800 m120 *

Nearest lots: 92 m away, ≈22 spaces; 108 m away, ≈11 spaces; 122 m away, ≈10 spaces; 123 m away, ≈10 spaces; 138 m away, ≈18 spaces; 146 m away, ≈20 spaces. More EV charging: 45 Abell St (736 m, 16 ports); 1051 Queen Street W (1.1 km, 2 ports); 283 Ossington Ave (1.5 km, 2 ports).

Lot count and area from the City's topographic mapping of parking-lot footprints (every visible surface lot, public or private); spaces are estimated at one per 30 m² of lot. Lots not run by Green P are private, commercial or institutional and may be for customers or residents only. Green P spaces and average daily peak occupancy from the Toronto Parking Authority's quarterly dataset (* = capacity from the 2019 car-park list; rates are not shown because that list is stale — check Green P). EV chargers are City-operated only; on-street and underground parking are not included.

Traffic volume

The City's latest turning-movement count — 8-hour, Aug 3, 2016

The afternoon peak is the heavier one — 172 vehicles in the hour from 4:15 p.m., 89% above the morning peak from 8:30 a.m. (91). Trucks and buses were 6.8% of traffic, well above the typical 3.2% — a sign of a goods-movement or bus corridor. The citywide median for a 14-hour count is 16,183 vehicles. The count is 10 years old — treat it as a snapshot of 2016, not today's volume. It was an 8-hour count, which is not directly comparable with the 14-hour counts the City has used since September 2023.

From the north784southbound · 326 bikes · 6.8% heavy
From the west0eastbound · 9 bikes · 0.0% heavy
Total vehicles784956 pedestrians · 343 cyclists · 6.8% heavy
From the east0westbound · 0 bikes · 0.0% heavy
From the south0northbound · 8 bikes · 0.0% heavy
AM peak hour91 vehicles from 8:30 a.m.
PM peak hour172 vehicles from 4:15 p.m.
Count8-hour · Aug 3, 2016

Approach figures are vehicles entering the intersection from that leg over the whole count. A count is one day's traffic, not an annual average; the City recounts on an ad-hoc schedule.

How fast traffic moves here

Midblock speed counts on the intersection's streets, the nearest school-zone speed sign, and traffic calming

The City's counter on Melbourne Ave between Melbourne Pl and Gwynne Ave (274 m away) recorded an average of 26 km/h in its 2-day count in November 2021; 85% of drivers were at or under 33 km/h. That segment carries about 400 vehicles a day. The reading is 5 years old; the City counts on request rather than on a schedule. At the school-zone speed sign on Jameson Ave (349 m away, 40 km/h limit), 0.6% of the 56,358 vehicles logged in July 2026 were doing 50 km/h or more — almost none.

Street segmentCountedVehicles / dayAverage85th percentile95th
Melbourne Ave · Melbourne Pl – Gwynne Ave · 274 mNov 2021 · 2 days42226 km/h33 km/h38 km/h

School-zone speed sign 349 m

Posted limit40 km/h
Median · 85th pct33 · 40 km/h
Over the limit3.4%
50 km/h or more0.6%

Jameson Ave (northbound), Opposite 182 Jameson Ave · 56,358 vehicles logged in July 2026 · runs weekdays, 7 am - 9 pm.

Midblock counts are automatic counters laid across the road for one to seven days; the 85th-percentile speed is the figure engineers use — 85% of drivers were at or below it. Counts are ad hoc, so some are years old. A midblock reading is not the speed through the intersection itself, and posted limits are not in the count data.

All police-reported collisions

Every collision reported to Toronto Police within 65 m, any severity, 2016–2025

2024 was the peak year (3 collisions), and 2025 closed with 0. 0% of collisions here involved an injury. 7 drivers failed to remain at the scene — 64% of collisions. None of the collisions in the window involved a pedestrian or cyclist. The most recent report on file is from Dec 7, 2024.

By year

16171819202122232425
2016–2025Collisions
All reported collisions11#4195 of 5,508
With an injury0
Property damage only4
Fail to remain7
Involving a pedestrian0
Involving a cyclist0
Involving a motorcyclist0
With a fatality0
Severity not classified7
All since 201412latest Dec 7, 2024

Source: Toronto Police Service, Traffic Collisions Open Data — every collision reported to police since 2014, within 65 m of this node. Records through Jun 30, 2026.

Killed or seriously injured

Collisions in which someone died or was seriously injured, within 65 m, 2016–2025 — the basis of the danger rankings

The KSI record for this intersection is empty back to 2006.

KSI = killed or seriously injured. A collision is counted if its recorded location is within 65 m of this intersection's centreline node, whether the police coded it as intersection-related or mid-block. Records can lag a year or more, so the current year is excluded from rankings.

Thefts reported at this corner

Thefts from vehicles and bicycle thefts that Toronto Police have offset to this intersection, 2016–2025

Toronto Police place seven thefts from vehicles and five bicycle thefts at this intersection in 2016–2025 — 2.0× the median for a Toronto intersection with any reported theft. The pace has slowed: 2 in 2023–2025, about 0.7 a year, against 1.4 a year before that. 86% of the vehicle thefts were from the street or other outdoor spots; 60% of the bike thefts were from apartment-building parking.

By year

16171819202122232425
2016–2025Reported2023–2025Since Jan 2026Most often from
Theft from a vehicle720street/outdoor (6), other (1)
Bicycle theft500apartment parking (3), house driveway/garage (1)

Source: Toronto Police Service, Theft From Motor Vehicle and Bicycle Thefts open data, records through Aug 6, 2024. Police offset every occurrence to the nearest intersection before publishing, so these are thefts on the streets and premises around this node, not necessarily at the corner itself. Other offences are published by neighbourhood only — see South Parkdale.

Nearby intersections

Questions

Is Cowan & Melbourne a dangerous intersection?

Not by the record: no one was killed or seriously injured here in 2016–2025, though police reported 11 lesser collisions. High counts usually track high traffic volume rather than a design flaw; volume is shown alongside so the numbers can be read in context.

How busy is Cowan & Melbourne?

A low-volume local intersection. Its latest count is from Aug 3, 2016, 8% of the median for a counted intersection.

How fast do cars go at Cowan & Melbourne?

The City's most recent speed count near the corner, on Melbourne Ave between Melbourne Pl and Gwynne Ave (November 2021), found an average of 26 km/h and an 85th-percentile speed of 33 km/h — meaning 85% of drivers were at or below that speed. At the school-zone speed sign 349 m away (40 km/h), 0.6% of vehicles were doing 50 km/h or more in July 2026.

Where can I park near Cowan & Melbourne?

The nearest Green P car park is 1325 Queen St W (182 m away, 32 spaces, 94% full at the daily peak in Q1 2026). The City's mapping shows 489 parking lots of any kind within 2 km — roughly 23,460 spaces — 87 of them within 500 m; most are private or customer-only lots. The nearest City EV charger is at 1224 KING ST W (344 m).

How do I get to Cowan & Melbourne by transit?

Streetcar routes 501, 504, 508 stop within 1 km, the nearest 190 m away; bus routes 402, 29, 47, 63, 929 within 1 km.

What restaurants are near Cowan & Melbourne?

46 restaurants, cafés and takeouts are within 300 m, and 228 within a kilometre, according to Toronto Public Health's DineSafe inspection list. The closest are Aangen - Cowan Kitchen (120 m), Nancy Brown Kitchen (120 m), Masaryk Cowan CRC -Kitchen # 1 (129 m), Masaryk Cowan CRC -Kitchen # 2 (129 m) and Bailey House (166 m). Each one's latest inspection result is shown on this page; DineSafe does not record cuisine or opening hours.

Is there a public washroom near Cowan & Melbourne?

The nearest is Masaryk-Cowan Community Recreation Centre Washroom, 220 Cowan Ave, 126 m away (View centre hours). Next nearest: the automated public toilet at 1275 Lake Shore Blvd W (803 m); Mary McCormick Recreation Centre Washroom (861 m). These are the City's own washrooms — in parks, civic buildings and automated street toilets — not those in malls, coffee shops or TTC stations.

Is there child care near Cowan & Melbourne?

Ten licensed child care centres within 1 km, with 820 spaces in total; 8 accept City fee subsidy and some are in the $10-a-day (CWELCC) program. The nearest are Holy Family Childcare Centre-Queen Victoria (206 m, 25 spaces), Sunflower House (310 m, 44 spaces) and Parkdale Early Learning Centre - Cdi - 119 Close Ave. (323 m, 49 spaces). Spaces are licensed capacity, not vacancies.

What apartment buildings are near Cowan & Melbourne?

123 RentSafeTO-registered apartment buildings with 10,005 rental units are within 1 km. The nearest are 176 Cowan Ave (64 m, 127 units, RentSafeTO score 100), 245 Dunn Ave (123 m, 384 units, RentSafeTO score 84), 12 Elm Grove Ave (136 m, 33 units, RentSafeTO score 91) and 240 Dunn Ave (155 m, 72 units, RentSafeTO score 96). The average RentSafeTO score across the 123 is 90 out of 100; 1 scored below 70. Condos and houses are not on the City's register. Each building's full record — score history, LTB orders, fire-code inspections, permits — is on LandlordReport.

How many thefts are reported at Cowan & Melbourne?

Toronto Police place seven thefts from vehicles and five bicycle thefts at this intersection in 2016–2025. Police offset every reported occurrence to the nearest intersection before publishing it, so the count covers the streets, driveways and parking around this corner rather than the corner itself. Break-ins, robberies and other offences are published by neighbourhood only — see the South Parkdale page.

What neighbourhood is Cowan & Melbourne in?

Cowan & Melbourne is in South Parkdale (City of Toronto neighbourhood 085), designated a Neighbourhood Improvement Area. It is in Ward 4, Parkdale-High Park, represented by Councillor Gord Perks.

Sources

Every figure on this page comes from one of these datasets — how they are joined