Toronto · intersection

George & The Esplanade

George St S & The Esplanade · Toronto, Ontario · St Lawrence-East Bayfront-The Islands · Ward 13, Toronto Centre · Old Town Toronto BIA

In St Lawrence-East Bayfront-The Islands, in the downtown core, George & The Esplanade is a low-volume local intersection, with pedestrians outnumbering vehicles and significant cycling traffic. At the corner: a protected bikeway, 2 schools within 250 m and parks. Nearby: King Station (Line 1) 640 m away and Union Station GO 948 m away. No one has been killed or seriously injured here in the last ten years of records.

Traffic volume
1,173
vehicles · 8-hour count, Jun 15, 2022
3,841 pedestrians · 490 cyclists
Collisions
22
police-reported, any severity · 2016–2025
2 with an injury · 17 property damage · #3308 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
3
TTC stops within 100 m
King Station 640 m · 6 streetcar routes · 7 bus routes within 1 km
Cycling
Protected
Bi-Directional Cycle Track, Cycle Track - Contraflow
Bike Share: 34 docks within 150 m

Hour by hour, the 8-hour count works out to close to 150 vehicles, 13% of the median counted intersection. Pedestrians outnumber vehicles 3.3 to 1 — rare for a Toronto intersection, where the median is one pedestrian for every 13 vehicles. Cyclists were 41.8% of vehicle volume, about 54× the typical share. That comes with about 2.2 reported collisions a year, 2016–2025 — roughly the median for a Toronto intersection. Collisions fell 53%, from 15 in 2016–2020 to 7 in 2021–2025. No one was killed or seriously injured in any of them.

Map

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George & The Esplanade

Getting here

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

Transit & cycling

Subway
King Station (Line 1)640 m; Union Station (Line 1)853 m; Queen Station (Line 1)862 m
GO Transit
Union Station GO — Barrie, Kitchener, Lakeshore East, Lakeshore West, Milton, Richmond Hill, Stouffville948 m; GO bus 16 Hamilton / Toronto Express31 Guelph / Toronto21 Milton65 Newmarket / Toronto61 Richmond Hill68 Barrie / Newmarket71 Stouffville90 Lakeshore East18 Lakeshore West35 Union Pearson Express at Union Station Bus Terminal762 m
VIA Rail
Toronto 945 m
Streetcar
503504508501509510 nearest 259 m
TTC bus
12175651142021997 nearest 64 m
Blue Night
304301310365320
Nearest stops
9 surface stops within 300 m — The Esplanade at Lower Jarvis St East Side; The Esplanade at Lower Jarvis St
Cycling
Bi-Directional Cycle Track on The Esplanade installed 2022; Cycle Track - Contraflow on George St S installed 2022
Bike Share
Lower Jarvis St / The Esplanade 96 m · 15 docks · 60 stations, 1,424 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 (25)
  • St Michael Catholic Elementary School - Bldg 1English Separate · 62 m
  • Downtown Alternative SchoolEnglish Public · 101 m
  • George Brown College - St James CampusCollege · 292 m
  • Market Lane Jr & Sr Public SchoolEnglish Public · 429 m
  • Keystone International SchoolsPrivate · 560 m
  • George Brown College - Waterfront CampusCollege · 612 m
  • and 19 more
Parks (47)
  • David Crombie Park195 m
  • Market Lane Park256 m
  • Princess Street Park301 m
  • Toronto Sculpture Garden349 m
  • St. James Park375 m
  • Berczy Park445 m
  • and 41 more
Library
  • Toronto Public Library St. Lawrence branch213 m
  • Toronto Public Library City Hall branch1.3 km
  • Toronto Public Library Parliament Street branch1.5 km
Places of interest
  • St. Lawrence Market and Market GalleryAttraction · 149 m
  • Museum of Illusions TorontoMuseum · 180 m
  • Young People's TheatrePerforming Arts · 189 m
  • Toronto Sculpture GardenFeatured Park · 349 m
  • Gooderham Flatiron BuildingLandmark · 357 m
  • St. James ParkNature/ Park · 373 m
  • Toronto's First Post OfficeMuseum · 382 m
  • St. Lawrence Centre for the ArtsPerforming Arts · 461 m

Around the corner

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

Restaurants & food

Toronto Public Health inspects 80 eating places within 300 m of this corner, plus 28 grocery and convenience stores; within a kilometre the count is 345 — 4.7× the median for a Toronto intersection. The nearest is 3 Mariachis (Esplanade), 26 m away, which passed its last DineSafe inspection in August 2026 with 3 infractions noted.

Restaurants & cafés80 within 300 m · 345 within 1 km
Grocery & convenience28 within 300 m · 55 within 1 km
Nearest food premisesDistanceLatest DineSafe inspection
3 Mariachis (Esplanade) · 140 the Esplanade26 mPassed, Aug 2026 · 3 infractions
At Jayy's Cheers Convenience · 140 the Esplanade Unit-4grocery26 mPassed, Jan 2026 · 1 infraction
Cuon Cuon · 140 the Esplanade Unit-426 mPassed, Jan 2026 · 1 infraction
Bellissimo Pizzeria and Ristorante · 164 the Esplanade88 mPassed, Jan 2026 · 4 infractions
Pizza Hut · 77 Lower Jarvis St108 mPassed, Nov 2025
Tim Hortons · 25 Henry Lane Ter110 mPassed, Jul 2025
McDonald's · 121 Front St E128 mPassed, Jul 2026
Big Pita · 115 Front St E142 mPassed, Jun 2026 · 1 infraction

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 St Lawrence Tent, 135 m away, Mon-Sat Closed, Sun 10:00am-5:00pm. A drinking fountain is 27 m away at David Crombie Park.

  • St Lawrence Tent · 125 The Esplanade Street
    Mon-Sat Closed, Sun 10:00am-5:00pm
    135 m
  • St Lawrence South · 91 Front Street East
    Mon Closed, Tue-Fri 8:30am-7:30pm, Sat 6:30am-5:30pm, Sun 9:30am-5:30pm · accessible
    185 m
  • St Lawrence North · 92 Front Street East
    Mon-Fri 8:30am-4:30pm, Sat 5:00am-4:00pm, Sun Closed · accessible
    209 m
Drinking water
David Crombie Park drinking fountain · 27 m; St. James Park bottle filling station · 372 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

12 licensed child care centres within a kilometre offer 773 spaces; eight accept City fee subsidy. The nearest is St. Lawrence Infant Toddler Centre (4 Market Street) (182 m, 40 spaces, infant, toddler).

Within 1 km12 centres · 773 spaces
Fee subsidy8 of 12
  • St. Lawrence Infant Toddler Centre (4 Market Street) · 4 Market St
    40 spaces · infant, toddler · fee subsidy · $10-a-day
    182 m
  • St. Lawrence Co-Operative Day Care (2 Princess Street) · 2 Princess St
    49 spaces · toddler, preschool · fee subsidy · $10-a-day
    333 m
  • St. Lawrence Co-Operative Day Care School Age (230 the Esplanade) · 230 the Esplanade
    74 spaces · preschool, kindergarten · fee subsidy · $10-a-day
    409 m
  • George Brown College - Mary's Place Child Care Centre · 185 Queens Quay E
    75 spaces · infant, toddler, preschool · fee subsidy · $10-a-day
    528 m

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

Emergency services

The nearest fire hall is Fire Station 333 (366 m), the nearest police station 51 Division (722 m) and the nearest ambulance station 709 m away.

FireFire Station 333 · 366 m207 Front St E
Police51 Division · 722 m51 Parliament Street
AmbulanceAmbulance Station 40 · 709 m58 Richmond St E

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

Within a kilometre there are 37 RentSafeTO-registered apartment buildings — 5,303 rental units — 27 social or Toronto Community Housing. The nearest is 140 The Esplanade (42 m, 102 units, 7 storeys, built 1993), which scored 81 out of 100 at its November 2025 RentSafeTO evaluation. None scored below 70; the average is 90, about the citywide norm. The Landlord and Tenant Board issued 49 final orders naming these buildings in the latest half-year of its catalogue, and 37 fire-code violations are open across them.

Registered buildings37 · 5,303 units · 27 social housing
RentSafeTO score90 average · none below 70
LTB orders, Jan 2026 – Jun 202649 across the 37
Open fire-code violations37
Tallest31 storeys
Nearest buildingsUnitsStoreysBuiltScoreLTB ordersDistance
140 The EsplanadeToronto Community Housing · TCH1027199381 · Nov 2025142 m
25 Henry Lane TerToronto Community Housing · Toronto Community Housing Corporation1966197977 · Jul 20251116 m
176 The EsplanadeToronto Community Housing · TCH2207200695 · Nov 20252 · 1 fire154 m
49 Henry Lane TerToronto Community Housing · TCH155198084 · Jul 20250182 m
171 Front St EToronto Community Housing · Toronto Community Housing Corporation613198293 · Nov 20250202 m
110 The Esplanadesocial housing · Affordable Property Management2059199396 · Jul 20240 · 6 fire220 m
15 Scadding AveToronto Community Housing · Toronto Community Housing Corporation2519198284 · Jul 20254 · 1 fire238 m
85 The Esplanadesocial housing · Affordable Property Management1287199793 · Jul 20250 · 7 fire291 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 lots618 lots · ≈25,670 spaces · 77 ha
Within 500 m46 lots · ≈1,090 spaces
Green P (public)21 car parks · about 6,842 spaces
EV charging (City)2 Church St. · 352 m · 24 Level 2 + 4 fast ports
Bike parking175 post-and-rings within 300 m · racks for 65 bikes within 600 m · Indoor bike station, 97 Front St W (1.1 km)
Green P car parkDistanceSpacesPeak occupancy
2 Church St · Garage352 m1,97216% (Q1 2026)
185 Queens Quay East · Surface540 m83 *
323 Richmond St E · Garage551 m25253% (Q1 2026)
87 Richmond St E · Surface575 m2092% (Q1 2026)
51 Dockside Dr · Garage606 m30619% (Q1 2026)

Nearest lots: 90 m away, ≈7 spaces; 100 m away, ≈2 spaces; 106 m away, ≈2 spaces; 118 m away, ≈2 spaces; 172 m away, ≈2 spaces; 177 m away, ≈8 spaces. More EV charging: 51 Dockside Dr. (612 m, 5 ports); 51 Dockside Dr (612 m, 6 ports); 40 York St (1.1 km, 12 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, Jun 15, 2022

Traffic is heaviest from the north: 805 southbound vehicles entered from that leg, 69% of the total, against 33 from the south. Most cyclists arrived from the east (252 of 490). Evening rush dominates here: 222 vehicles in the peak hour from 4:45 p.m., against 120 in the morning peak from 8:00 a.m. Trucks and buses were 13.8% of traffic, well above the typical 3.2% — a sign of a goods-movement or bus corridor. For scale, a typical counted intersection in Toronto sees 16,183 vehicles over 14 hours. The count is 4 years old — treat it as a snapshot of 2022, 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 north805southbound · 59 bikes · 4.8% heavy
From the west159eastbound · 158 bikes · 52.8% heavy
Total vehicles1,1733,841 pedestrians · 490 cyclists · 13.8% heavy
From the east176westbound · 252 bikes · 19.9% heavy
From the south33northbound · 21 bikes · 12.1% heavy
AM peak hour120 vehicles from 8:00 a.m.
PM peak hour222 vehicles from 4:45 p.m.
Count8-hour · Jun 15, 2022

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

On George St S between Albert Franck Pl and Wilton St, 65 m from the corner, a 2-day count in March 2020 put the average speed at 23 km/h and the 85th-percentile speed at 29 km/h, with the fastest one in twenty at 35 km/h or more. That segment carries about 1,000 vehicles a day. The reading is 6 years old; the City counts on request rather than on a schedule. 2 speed humps slow traffic on George Street South between The Esplanade and Front St E.

Street segmentCountedVehicles / dayAverage85th percentile95th
The Esplanade · Lower Jarvis St – George St S · 50 mFeb 2020 · 7 days7,212
George St S · Albert Franck Pl – Wilton St · 65 mMar 2020 · 2 days95723 km/h29 km/h35 km/h

Traffic calming

  • George Street South · The Esplanade – Front St E
    2 speed humps

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

The worst year was 2019, with 6 collisions; 2025 recorded 0. 2 collisions (9%) involved an injury; the citywide share is 15%. 3 drivers failed to remain at the scene — 14% of collisions, in line with the citywide 16%. 2 collisions involved a pedestrian or cyclist (9%) — a high share for a Toronto intersection. The most recent report on file is from Feb 7, 2024.

By year

16171819202122232425
2016–2025Collisions
All reported collisions22#3308 of 5,508
With an injury2#3987 of 4,660
Property damage only17
Fail to remain3
Involving a pedestrian0
Involving a cyclist2#1384 of 2,576
Involving a motorcyclist0
With a fatality0
Severity not classified3
All since 201427latest Feb 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

No collision involving a death or serious injury has been recorded within 65 m of this intersection since the record begins in 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

14 thefts from vehicles and three bike thefts were reported around this corner in 2016–2025 — 2.8× the median for a Toronto intersection with any reported theft. The pace has slowed: 3 in 2023–2025, about 1.0 a year, against 2.0 a year before that. 71% of the vehicle thefts were from the street or other outdoor spots.

By year

16171819202122232425
2016–2025Reported2023–2025Since Jan 2026Most often from
Theft from a vehicle1410street/outdoor (10), apartment parking (4)
Bicycle theft320street/outdoor (3)

Source: Toronto Police Service, Theft From Motor Vehicle and Bicycle Thefts open data, records through Sep 8, 2023. 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 St Lawrence-East Bayfront-The Islands.

Nearby intersections

Questions

Is George & The Esplanade a dangerous intersection?

Not by the record: no one was killed or seriously injured here in 2016–2025, though police reported 22 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 George & The Esplanade?

A low-volume local intersection. Its latest count is from Jun 15, 2022, 13% of the median for a counted intersection.

How fast do cars go at George & The Esplanade?

The City's most recent speed count near the corner, on George St S between Albert Franck Pl and Wilton St (March 2020), found an average of 23 km/h and an 85th-percentile speed of 29 km/h — meaning 85% of drivers were at or below that speed.

Where can I park near George & The Esplanade?

The nearest Green P car park is 2 Church St (352 m away, 1,972 spaces, 16% full at the daily peak in Q1 2026). The City's mapping shows 618 parking lots of any kind within 2 km — roughly 25,670 spaces — 46 of them within 500 m; most are private or customer-only lots. The nearest City EV charger is at 2 Church St. (352 m).

How do I get to George & The Esplanade by transit?

King Station (Line 1) is 640 m away; Union Station GO is 948 m away; streetcar routes 503, 504, 508, 501 and 2 more stop within 1 km, the nearest 259 m away; bus routes 121, 75, 65, 114, 202, 19, 97 within 1 km (nearest stop: The Esplanade at Lower Jarvis St East Side, 64 m).

What restaurants are near George & The Esplanade?

80 restaurants, cafés and takeouts are within 300 m, and 345 within a kilometre, according to Toronto Public Health's DineSafe inspection list. The closest are 3 Mariachis (Esplanade) (26 m), Cuon Cuon (26 m), Bellissimo Pizzeria and Ristorante (88 m), Pizza Hut (108 m) and Tim Hortons (110 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 George & The Esplanade?

The nearest is St Lawrence Tent, 125 The Esplanade Street, 135 m away (Mon-Sat Closed, Sun 10:00am-5:00pm). Next nearest: St Lawrence South (185 m); St Lawrence North (209 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 George & The Esplanade?

12 licensed child care centres within 1 km, with 773 spaces in total; 8 accept City fee subsidy and some are in the $10-a-day (CWELCC) program. The nearest are St. Lawrence Infant Toddler Centre (4 Market Street) (182 m, 40 spaces), St. Lawrence Co-Operative Day Care (2 Princess Street) (333 m, 49 spaces) and St. Lawrence Co-Operative Day Care School Age (230 the Esplanade) (409 m, 74 spaces). Spaces are licensed capacity, not vacancies.

What apartment buildings are near George & The Esplanade?

37 RentSafeTO-registered apartment buildings with 5,303 rental units are within 1 km. The nearest are 140 The Esplanade (42 m, 102 units, RentSafeTO score 81), 25 Henry Lane Ter (116 m, 196 units, RentSafeTO score 77), 176 The Esplanade (154 m, 220 units, RentSafeTO score 95) and 49 Henry Lane Ter (182 m, 15 units, RentSafeTO score 84). The average RentSafeTO score across the 37 is 90 out of 100. 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 George & The Esplanade?

Toronto Police place 14 thefts from vehicles and three 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 St Lawrence-East Bayfront-The Islands page.

What neighbourhood is George & The Esplanade in?

George & The Esplanade is in St Lawrence-East Bayfront-The Islands (City of Toronto neighbourhood 166). It is in Ward 13, Toronto Centre, represented by Councillor Chris Moise. The corner falls inside the Old Town Toronto Business Improvement Area.

Sources

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