Toronto · intersection

Howard & Bleecker

Howard St & Bleecker St · Toronto, Ontario · North St.James Town · Ward 13, Toronto Centre

Howard & Bleecker sits in North St.James Town, in central Toronto. At the City's last count here, in 2015, it was a low-volume local intersection, with pedestrians outnumbering vehicles and significant cycling traffic. At the corner: Sherbourne Station and parks. No one has been killed or seriously injured here in the last ten years of records.

Traffic
2,438
vehicles · 8-hour count, May 6, 2015
2,820 pedestrians · 176 cyclists
Collisions
21
police-reported · 2016–2025
none killed or seriously injured
Getting there
Sherbourne Station
subway station within 250 m
11 routes within 1 km
Within a walk
84/100
city median 48 · #186 of 5,672
22 places to eat within 300 m · grocery 17 m

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Howard & Bleecker

Traffic and safety

The City's latest turning-movement count, every police-reported collision within 65 m, speeds on these streets

Traffic volume8-hour count · May 6, 2015

Traffic is heaviest from the east: 1,803 westbound vehicles entered from that leg, 74% of the total, against 1 from the west. Most cyclists arrived from the east (128 of 176). Unusually, the morning peak is the heavier one — 491 vehicles in the hour from 8:15 a.m., 52% above the afternoon peak from 4:00 p.m. (324). Trucks and buses were 12.5% 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 16,177 vehicles over 14 hours. The count is 12 years old — treat it as a snapshot of 2015, 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 north44southbound · 10 bikes · 25.0% heavy
From the west1eastbound · 0 bikes · 100.0% heavy
Total vehicles2,4382,820 pedestrians · 176 cyclists · 12.5% heavy
From the east1,803westbound · 128 bikes · 11.3% heavy
From the south590northbound · 38 bikes · 15.1% heavy

Peak hours: 491 vehicles in the hour from 8:15 a.m. and 324 from 4:00 p.m. (approach figures are vehicles entering from that leg over the whole count — one day's traffic, not an annual average).

Collisions 2016–2025 · within 65 m

The worst year was 2023, with 5 collisions; 2025 recorded 4. 3 collisions (14%) involved an injury; the citywide share is 15%. 6 drivers failed to remain at the scene — 29% of collisions, a higher hit-and-run share than the city's 16%. 5 collisions involved a pedestrian or cyclist (24%) — a high share for a Toronto intersection. Since January 2026, 3 more collisions have been reported; they sit outside the ranking window. The most recent report on file is from Apr 18, 2026.

No collision involving a death or serious injury has been recorded within 65 m of this intersection since the record begins in 2006.

By year

16171819202122232425
2016–2025Collisions
All reported collisions21
With an injury3
Property damage only13
Fail to remain6
Involving a pedestrian4#945 of 3,196
Involving a cyclist1
Severity not classified5
Since January 2026 (outside the window)3
Killed or seriously injured0
All KSI since 20060

A collision counts when its recorded location is within 65 m of the centreline node, intersection-related or not. KSI = killed or seriously injured, the basis of the danger rankings; records can lag a year or more, so the current year is outside the window. How collisions are counted.

How fast traffic moves here

On Bleecker St between Earl St and Howard St, 187 m from the corner, a 3-day count in April 2004 put the average speed at 34 km/h and the 85th-percentile speed at 43 km/h, with the fastest one in twenty at 48 km/h or more. That segment carries about 1,700 vehicles a day. The reading is 22 years old; the City counts on request rather than on a schedule. Howard St between Bleecker St and Glen Rd measured slower: 32 km/h on average and an 85th percentile of 41 km/h (Apr 2004). At the school-zone speed sign on Isabella St (224 m away, 30 km/h limit), 0.0% of the 23,435 vehicles logged in August 2026 were doing 40 km/h or more — almost none. 5 speed humps slow traffic on Bleecker Street between Wellesley St E and Howard St (installed 2006).

Street segmentCountedVehicles / dayAverage85th percentile95th
Howard St · Bleecker St – Glen Rd · 18 mApr 2004 · 3 days3,39432 km/h41 km/h45 km/h
Bleecker St · Earl St – Howard St · 187 mApr 2004 · 3 days1,70734 km/h43 km/h48 km/h
Speed sign
Isabella St (westbound), 224 m — 30 km/h zone. Median 25 km/h, 85th percentile 30 km/h; 0.0% at 40 km/h or more. 23,435 vehicles logged in August 2026; runs weekdays, 7 am - 9 pm.
Traffic calming
Bleecker Street (Wellesley St E – Howard St): 5 speed humps (installed 2006)

Midblock counts are automatic counters laid across the road for one to seven days; 85% of drivers were at or below the 85th-percentile speed. A reading is not the speed through the intersection itself, and posted limits are not in the count data. How speeds are read.

Getting there

Transit within 1 km, cycling at the corner, and where to park

Transit and cycling

Subway
Sherbourne Station (Line 2)178 m; Castle Frank Station (Line 2)684 m · 8 min; Bloor Station (Line 1)1 km · 12 min
Streetcar
506 nearest 1 km · 12 min
TTC bus
75 65 94 82 nearest 178 m
Blue Night
306 300 365
Nearest stops
5 surface stops within 300 m
Cycling
no bikeway on the City cycling network touches this intersection
Bike Share
Howard St / Sherbourne St 76 m · 31 docks · 21 stations, 501 docks within 1 km

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

Parking within 2 km

Green P
11 car parks · about 1,346 spaces
EV charging
188 Carlton St · 914 m · 1 Level 2 ports; also 186 Carlton St (921 m), 20 Charles St E. (1.1 km)
Bike parking
40 post-and-rings within 300 m
Other lots
32 mapped lots within 500 m, 502 within 2 km — private, commercial or institutional, and often for customers or residents only
Green P car parkDistanceSpacesPeak occupancy
405 Sherbourne St · Surface851 m9175% (Q1 2026)
13 Isabella St · Surface1 km3073% (Q1 2026)
20 Charles St E · Garage1.1 km64618% (Q1 2026)
51 Aberdeen Ave · Surface1.1 km3555% (Q1 2026)
15 Wellesley St E · Surface1.3 km12654% (Q1 2026)

Green P spaces and average daily peak occupancy from the Toronto Parking Authority's quarterly dataset (* = capacity from the 2019 car-park list; check Green P for rates). EV chargers are City-operated only. On-street and underground parking are not included.

Within a walk

What the City's own records put within a walk of this corner — distances are the walk along real streets and paths. Shops, banks, gyms and clinics are in no City dataset, so they are not here.

Food, shops and services

Four grocery stores are within 300 m of the corner — the nearest is Liyu Ethio Market, 17 m away. A specialist food shop is closer still: Awaze Halal, 3 m away. Toronto Public Health inspects 22 eating places within 300 m of this corner; within a kilometre the count is 111 — 2.7× the median for a Toronto intersection. The nearest is Liyu Whole Food Store, 15 m away. Five pharmacies sit within 300 m of the corner; the nearest is Howard Pharmacy, 41 m away. The nearest hospital site is Toronto Grace Health Centre, 784 m away, then Holland Centre at 1.2 km. For seniors' housing: Wellesley Central Place, a long-term care home 582 m away (three within a kilometre). Sunshine Centres For Seniors - St. James Town Seniors Active Living Program runs a seniors' active living programme 504 m away.

Restaurants & cafés
  • Liyu Whole Food Store · 10 Howard St15 m
  • Manila Sentro Filipino Cuisine · 29 Howard St32 m
  • Apo Filipino Cuisine · 29 Howard St56 m
  • Tinuno · 31 Howard St58 m
  • Sushi Cafe · 600 Sherbourne St Unit-107136 m
22 within 300 m · 111 within 1 km
Grocery
Liyu Ethio Market 17 m · 4 within 300 m
Food shops
Awaze Halal 3 m · butcher, bakery or food shop
Convenience
4 convenience stores or gas bars within 300 m
Pharmacy
Howard Pharmacy 41 m · 12 within 1 km
Child care
  • The Munchkin Manor Daycare & Early Learning Centre Inc. · 49 spaces, toddler, preschool · $10-a-day186 m
  • George Brown - Rose Avenue Child Care Centre · 171 spaces, infant, toddler, preschool, kindergarten, school age · fee subsidy · $10-a-day291 m · 3 min
  • Wellesley Early Learning Centre - Earlscourt Creche Cdi · 62 spaces, infant, toddler, preschool · fee subsidy · $10-a-day439 m · 5 min
7 licensed centres · 621 spaces within 1 km · 4 accept City fee subsidy
Washrooms
  • Wellesley Community Centre Washroom · hours not listed449 m · 5 min
Drinking water: St. James Town West Park 98 m (off); Dr. Gordon Chong Park 212 m (off)
Health and care
  • Toronto Grace Health Centre · hospital site784 m · 9 min
  • Holland Centre · hospital site1.2 km · 15 min
  • Wellesley Central Place · long-term care home · 3 within 1 km582 m · 7 min
  • Sunshine Centres For Seniors - St. James Town Seniors Active Living Program · seniors' active living centre504 m · 6 min

Food premises Toronto Public Health has inspected since November 2023, screened by name and location to leave out the kitchens inside care homes, child care, schools and offices, and carts and stalls; a shop without a recent inspection does not appear. Pharmacies, hospital sites and care homes from the Ontario Ministry of Health's register — a hospital site may be a rehabilitation or specialty hospital without an emergency department; in an emergency call 911. How places are classed.

Parks, schools and places

Parks (35)
  • St. James Town West Park90 m
  • Dr. Gordon Chong Park207 m
  • Rekai Family Parkette536 m · 6 min
  • Wellesley - Magill Park558 m · 7 min
  • Bleecker Parkette625 m · 7 min
and 30 more within 1.5 km
Community centres
Schools (21)
  • Monsignor Fraser College - Isabella NorthEnglish Separate · 251 m · 3 min
  • Rose Avenue Jr Public SchoolEnglish Public · 291 m · 3 min
  • Monsignor Fraser College - Isabella CampusEnglish Separate · 392 m · 5 min
  • Our Lady of Lourdes Catholic Elementary SchoolEnglish Separate · 687 m · 8 min
  • Branksome Hall Girls SchoolPrivate · 714 m · 9 min
and 16 more within 1.5 km
Library
  • Toronto Public Library St. James Town branch470 m · 6 min
  • Toronto Public Library Toronto Reference Library branch1.2 km · 14 min
Places of interest
  • Dancemakers Centre for CreationPerforming Arts · 1 km · 12 min
  • The Japan FoundationMuseum · 1.1 km · 13 min
  • Betty Oliphant Theatre (at Canada's National Ballet School)Performing Arts · 1.1 km · 13 min
  • Winchester Street TheatrePerforming Arts · 1.1 km · 13 min

Parks, schools, libraries and places of interest within 1.5 km; child care, washrooms and care homes within 1 km; a hospital site within 2 km. Distances are the walk along real streets and paths. How these are joined.

84of 100
Scored from the records above

The median Toronto intersection scores 48. This corner is #186 of 5,672. It counts what can be reached, not how pleasant or safe the walk is.

  • Groceries and food30/30

    4 grocery stores within 300 m · 22 places to eat within 300 m

  • Transit25/28

    Sherbourne Station · 5 stops within 300 m · 11 routes within 1 km

  • Library and places to go10/14

    library 470 m away · 8 places of interest within 1.5 km

  • Parks and recreation9/10

    2 parks within 500 m · 1 community centre within 800 m

  • Schools and child care8/8

    3 schools within 500 m · 3 licensed child care within 500 m

  • Crossing on foot2/10

    traffic calming

Our own measure, not a licensed walkability rating: every point comes from a City dataset listed under Sources, and the six parts add up to the score. How the score is built · the full ranking.

Apartment buildings nearby

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

Within a kilometre there are 84 RentSafeTO-registered apartment buildings — 14,330 rental units, 5.6× the median for a Toronto intersection — 11 social or Toronto Community Housing. The nearest is 375 Bleecker St (111 m, 327 units, 24 storeys, built 1969), which scored 77 out of 100 at its September 2024 RentSafeTO evaluation. Two buildings of the 84 scored below 70; the average is 88, about the citywide norm.

Nearest buildingsUnitsStoreysBuiltScoreDistance
375 Bleecker St Toronto Community Housing · Greenwin32724196977 · Sep 2024111 m
25 Selby St · Tricon503512018100 · Oct 2025126 m
451 Bloor St E · Ez Property Management Ltd416194897 · Jun 2025140 m
730 Ontario St · Ranee Management27914196783 · Aug 2026169 m
565 Sherbourne St · Medallion Corporation51430197883 · Nov 2025176 m
77 Howard St · Wellesley Parliament Square Ltd.38124196996 · Nov 2025238 m

84 registered buildings · 14,330 units · 11 social housing · tallest 51 storeys. The score is the City's RentSafeTO evaluation out of 100; buildings of three or more storeys and ten or more units are registered, condominiums and houses are not. Each building links to its full record on LandlordReport.

Thefts reported at this corner

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

Eight thefts from vehicles and three bike thefts were reported around this corner in 2016–2025 — about the median for an intersection with any reported theft. The pace has slowed: 1 in 2023–2025, about 0.3 a year, against 1.4 a year before that. 75% 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 vehicle810street/outdoor (6), other (2)
Bicycle theft300house driveway/garage (2), street/outdoor (1)

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 North St.James Town.

Nearby intersections

Questions

Is Howard & Bleecker a dangerous intersection?

Not by the record: no one was killed or seriously injured here in 2016–2025, though police reported 21 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 Howard & Bleecker?

A low-volume local intersection at the City's last count here, in 2015. Its latest count is from May 6, 2015, 26% of today's median for a counted intersection.

Is Howard & Bleecker a walkable intersection?

Howard & Bleecker scores 84 out of 100 on this site's within-a-walk measure — #186 of 5,672 Toronto intersections; the city median is 48. It counts what the City's own records put within a walk — food premises, transit, libraries, parks, schools, licensed child care — not shops, banks or clinics, which no City dataset lists. Within a walk: 4 grocery stores within 300 m · 22 places to eat within 300 m; 3 schools within 500 m · 3 licensed child care within 500 m; 2 parks within 500 m · 1 community centre within 800 m. The crossing itself: traffic calming.

How fast do cars go at Howard & Bleecker?

The City's most recent speed count near the corner, on Bleecker St between Earl St and Howard St (April 2004), found an average of 34 km/h and an 85th-percentile speed of 43 km/h — meaning 85% of drivers were at or below that speed. At the school-zone speed sign 224 m away (30 km/h), 0.0% of vehicles were doing 40 km/h or more in August 2026.

Where can I park near Howard & Bleecker?

The nearest Green P car park is 405 Sherbourne St (851 m away, 91 spaces, 75% full at the daily peak in Q1 2026). The City's mapping shows 502 parking lots of any kind within 2 km — roughly 12,920 spaces — 32 of them within 500 m; most are private or customer-only lots. The nearest City EV charger is at 188 Carlton St (914 m).

How do I get to Howard & Bleecker by transit?

Sherbourne Station (Line 2) is 178 m away; streetcar route 506 stop within 1 km, the nearest 1.0 km away; bus routes 75, 65, 94, 82 within 1 km.

What restaurants are near Howard & Bleecker?

22 restaurants, cafés and takeouts are within 300 m, and 111 within a kilometre, counting the premises Toronto Public Health has inspected since November 2023. The closest are Liyu Whole Food Store (15 m), Manila Sentro Filipino Cuisine (32 m), Apo Filipino Cuisine (56 m), Tinuno (58 m) and Sushi Cafe (136 m). DineSafe does not record cuisine or opening hours.

Is there a public washroom near Howard & Bleecker?

The nearest is Wellesley Community Centre Washroom, 495 Sherbourne St, 449 m away.

Is there child care near Howard & Bleecker?

Seven licensed child care centres within 1 km, with 621 spaces in total; 4 accept City fee subsidy and some are in the $10-a-day (CWELCC) program. The nearest are The Munchkin Manor Daycare & Early Learning Centre Inc. (186 m, 49 spaces), George Brown - Rose Avenue Child Care Centre (291 m, 171 spaces) and Wellesley Early Learning Centre - Earlscourt Creche Cdi (439 m, 62 spaces). Spaces are licensed capacity, not vacancies.

What apartment buildings are near Howard & Bleecker?

84 RentSafeTO-registered apartment buildings with 14,330 rental units are within 1 km. The nearest are 375 Bleecker St (111 m, 327 units, RentSafeTO score 77), 25 Selby St (126 m, 503 units, RentSafeTO score 100), 451 Bloor St E (140 m, 41 units, RentSafeTO score 97) and 730 Ontario St (169 m, 279 units, RentSafeTO score 83). The average RentSafeTO score across the 84 is 88 out of 100; 2 scored below 70.

How many thefts are reported at Howard & Bleecker?

Toronto Police place eight thefts from vehicles and three bicycle thefts at this intersection in 2016–2025. Break-ins, robberies and other offences are published by neighbourhood only — see the North St.James Town page.

What neighbourhood is Howard & Bleecker in?

Howard & Bleecker is in North St.James Town (City of Toronto neighbourhood 074). It is in Ward 13, Toronto Centre, represented by Councillor Chris Moise.

Sources

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