Toronto · intersection

Howland & Simpson

Howland Rd & Simpson Ave · Toronto, Ontario · North Riverdale · Ward 14, Toronto-Danforth

Howland & Simpson is a quiet local crossing, with heavy foot traffic. It sits in North Riverdale. At the corner: a school within 250 m. Nearby: 13 TTC routes within a kilometre. No one has been killed or seriously injured here in the last ten years of records.

Traffic volume
2,078
vehicles · 14-hour count, Feb 12, 2026
668 pedestrians · 28 cyclists · #2224 busiest
Collisions
20
police-reported, any severity · 2016–2025
0 with an injury · 13 property damage · #3413 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
5 streetcar routes · 3 bus routes within 1 km
Cycling
No bikeway
nothing on the City cycling network here
Bike Share: 0 docks within 150 m

The latest City count averages about 150 vehicles an hour over its 14-hour span, 13% of the median counted intersection. Foot traffic runs at about one pedestrian per 3 vehicles — more walking than at most counted intersections, where the median is one per 13. On average 2 collisions a year were reported here in 2016–2025 — 9.6 per 10,000 counted vehicles, 1.94× the median rate for counted intersections. Collisions rose 22%, from 9 in 2016–2020 to 11 in 2021–2025. No one was killed or seriously injured in any of them.

Map

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Howland & Simpson

Getting here

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

Transit & cycling

Streetcar
506504505501503 nearest 143 m
TTC bus
7212183 nearest 361 m
Blue Night
306304305301325
Nearest stops
4 surface stops within 300 m
Cycling
no bikeway on the City cycling network touches this intersection
Bike Share
Logan Ave / Gerrard St E 169 m · 23 docks · 18 stations, 343 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 (22)
  • Eastdale Collegiate InstituteEnglish Public · 206 m
  • Withrow Ave Jr & Quest Alternative SrEnglish Public · 511 m
  • Pape Avenue Jr Public SchoolEnglish Public · 545 m
  • Dundas Jr Public SchoolEnglish Public · 606 m
  • Seed Alternative SchoolEnglish Public · 624 m
  • Queen Alexandra Mdl SchoolEnglish Public · 681 m
  • and 16 more
Parks (42)
  • Caroline Huebner Parkette339 m
  • Eastdale Playground422 m
  • Dundas Parkette451 m
  • Badgerow Parkette465 m
  • Thorogood Gardens488 m
  • de Grassi St Parkette489 m
  • and 36 more
Library
  • Toronto Public Library Riverdale branch500 m
  • Toronto Public Library Queen/Saulter branch908 m
  • Toronto Public Library Jones branch1 km
Places of interest
  • Riverdale Park (East and West)Nature/ Park · 733 m
  • Riverdale FarmAttraction · 1.2 km
  • The Danforth Music HallPerforming Arts · 1.2 km
  • Native Earth Performing Arts & Aki StudioPerforming Arts · 1.4 km

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 12 eating places within 300 m of this corner, plus 2 grocery and convenience stores; within a kilometre the count is 176 — 2.4× the median for a Toronto intersection. The nearest is Bep Viet, 69 m away, which passed its last DineSafe inspection in February 2026 with 4 infractions noted.

Restaurants & cafés12 within 300 m · 176 within 1 km
Grocery & convenience2 within 300 m · 28 within 1 km
Nearest food premisesDistanceLatest DineSafe inspection
Bep Viet · 738 Gerrard St E69 mPassed, Feb 2026 · 4 infractions
Batifole · 744 Gerrard St E73 mPassed, May 2026 · 1 infraction
El Hijo de Tizoc · 797 Gerrard St E163 mPassed, Jul 2026 · 2 infractions
Hailed Coffee · 801 Gerrard St E167 mPassed, May 2026
Alice Marie Bakery & Coffee · 807 Gerrard St Egrocery182 mPassed, Dec 2025
Donutlan · 688 Gerrard St E187 mPassed, Jul 2026
Mi Mi Vietnamese Restaurant · 686 Gerrard St E194 mPassed, Apr 2026
Eastdale Collegiate Institute - Snp · 701 Gerrard St E Flr-2205 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 Withrow Park South Washroom, 622 m away, open 9 a.m. to 10 p.m. A drinking fountain is 449 m away at Gerrard - Carlaw Traffic Island (currently off).

  • Withrow Park South Washroom · 725 Logan Ave
    9 a.m. to 10 p.m.
    622 m
  • Matty Eckler Recreation Centre Washroom · 953 Gerrard St E
    View centre hours
    627 m
  • Riverdale Park East Fieldhouse Washroom · 550 Broadview Ave
    9 a.m. to 10 p.m. · accessible
    657 m
Drinking water
Gerrard - Carlaw Traffic Island drinking fountain, dog fountain · 449 m · off; Riverdale Park East bottle filling station, drinking fountain, dog fountain · 501 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

14 licensed child care centres within a kilometre offer 1,222 spaces; five accept City fee subsidy. The nearest is Matthew-John Early Learning Centre (226 m, 73 spaces, toddler, preschool, kindergarten).

Within 1 km14 centres · 1,222 spaces
Fee subsidy5 of 14
  • Matthew-John Early Learning Centre · 135 First Ave
    73 spaces · toddler, preschool, kindergarten · fee subsidy · $10-a-day
    226 m
  • Riverdale Mighty Kids Corp · 842 Gerrard St E
    49 spaces · infant, toddler, preschool · $10-a-day
    328 m
  • Kids Way Daycare · 369 Broadview Ave
    15 spaces · infant, toddler · $10-a-day
    446 m
  • Two Short Storeys · 430 Broadview Ave
    88 spaces · infant, toddler, preschool
    505 m

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

Emergency services

The nearest fire hall is Fire Station 324 (310 m), the nearest police station 51 Division (2.1 km) and the nearest ambulance station 872 m away.

FireFire Station 324 · 310 m840 Gerrard St E
Police51 Division · 2.1 km51 Parliament Street
AmbulanceAmbulance Station 43 · 872 m126 Pape Ave

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 18 RentSafeTO-registered apartment buildings — 2,092 rental units — ten social or Toronto Community Housing. The nearest is 793 Gerrard St E (158 m, 28 units, 5 storeys, built 1950), which scored 83 out of 100 at its November 2025 RentSafeTO evaluation. One building of the 18 scored below 70; the average is 89, about the citywide norm. The Landlord and Tenant Board issued 46 final orders naming these buildings in the latest half-year of its catalogue, and 24 fire-code violations are open across them.

Registered buildings18 · 2,092 units · 10 social housing
RentSafeTO score89 average · 1 below 70
LTB orders, Jan 2026 – Jun 202646 across the 18
Open fire-code violations24
Tallest27 storeys
Nearest buildingsUnitsStoreysBuiltScoreLTB ordersDistance
793 Gerrard St Esocial housing · North44 Property Management Inc285195083 · Nov 20250158 m
444 Logan Avesocial housing · Woodgreen Community Housing Inc15922196786 · Jun 20243 · 3 fire307 m
425 Broadview Ave113192082 · Jul 20260451 m
369 Pape AveToronto Community Housing · Toronto Community Housing Corporation1398198193 · Aug 20266595 m
859 Dundas St EToronto Community Housing · Toronto Community Housing Corporation294197396 · Dec 20250688 m
179 Broadview Avesocial housing · Neighbours Community Homes414199285 · Aug 20260743 m
9 Tennis Cres · Hazelview Properties Services Inc.544193196 · Jun 20251798 m
569 Broadview Ave · Hazelview Properties Services Inc.484192992 · Aug 20260834 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 lots790 lots · ≈31,740 spaces · 95.2 ha
Within 500 m46 lots · ≈1,290 spaces
Green P (public)22 car parks · about 1,360 spaces
EV charging (City)963 Gerrard St E · 636 m · 2 Level 2 ports
Bike parking37 post-and-rings within 300 m · racks for 21 bikes within 600 m
Green P car parkDistanceSpacesPeak occupancy
653 Gerrard St E · Surface294 m3072% (Q1 2026)
573 Gerrard St E · Surface530 m3675% (Q1 2026)
136 Broadview Ave · Surface881 m2273% (Q1 2026)
111 Broadview Ave · Surface939 m9256% (Q1 2026)
670 Pape Ave · Surface1.2 km7447% (Q1 2026)

Nearest lots: 172 m away, ≈12 spaces; 208 m away, ≈4 spaces; 212 m away, ≈9 spaces; 230 m away, ≈18 spaces; 249 m away, ≈4 spaces; 276 m away, ≈30 spaces (Green P). More EV charging: 220 Carlaw Ave. (825 m, 2 ports); 453 Jones Ave (1.2 km, 2 ports); 14 Arundel Ave. (1.3 km, 8 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 — 14-hour, Feb 12, 2026

Traffic is heaviest from the east: 1,076 westbound vehicles entered from that leg, 52% of the total, against 16 from the west. The morning and afternoon peaks are nearly equal: 246 vehicles in the hour from 8:15 a.m. and 252 from 3:30 p.m. Heavy vehicles made up 2.7% of traffic (typical: 3.2%). For scale, a typical counted intersection in Toronto sees 16,183 vehicles over 14 hours. This is a fresh count, taken within the last year.

From the north463southbound · 7 bikes · 1.3% heavy
From the west16eastbound · 2 bikes · 6.3% heavy
Total vehicles2,078668 pedestrians · 28 cyclists · 2.7% heavy
From the east1,076westbound · 12 bikes · 2.0% heavy
From the south523northbound · 7 bikes · 5.4% heavy
AM peak hour246 vehicles from 8:15 a.m.
PM peak hour252 vehicles from 3:30 p.m.
Count14-hour · Feb 12, 2026

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 Simpson Ave between Broadview Ave and Lane W of Howland Rd and N of Simpson, 257 m from the corner, a 3-day count in April 2026 put the average speed at 26 km/h and the 85th-percentile speed at 33 km/h, with the fastest one in twenty at 35 km/h or more. That segment carries about 1,800 vehicles a day. At the school-zone speed sign on 722 Gerrard St East (113 m away, 40 km/h limit), 2.7% of the 25,028 vehicles logged in July 2026 were doing 50 km/h or more — a small minority. 2 speed humps slow traffic on Simpson Avenue between Howland Rd and Logan Ave.

Street segmentCountedVehicles / dayAverage85th percentile95th
Simpson Ave · Broadview Ave – Lane W of Howland Rd and N of Simpson · 257 mApr 2026 · 3 days1,78626 km/h33 km/h35 km/h

School-zone speed sign 113 m

Posted limit40 km/h
Median · 85th pct33 · 42 km/h
Over the limit9.0%
50 km/h or more2.7%

722 Gerrard St East (westbound), 722/724, Gerrard Street East · 25,028 vehicles logged in July 2026 · runs weekdays, 7 am - 9 pm.

Traffic calming

  • Simpson Avenue · Howland Rd – Logan Ave
    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 2021, with 3 collisions; 2025 recorded 2. 0 collisions (0%) involved an injury; the citywide share is 15%. 8 drivers failed to remain at the scene — 40% of collisions, a higher hit-and-run share than the city's 16%. None of the collisions in the window involved a pedestrian or cyclist. The most recent report on file is from Dec 12, 2025.

By year

16171819202122232425

Exposure-adjusted: 9.6 collisions per year per 10,000 daily vehicles, using the latest 14-hour count.

2016–2025Collisions
All reported collisions20#3413 of 5,508
With an injury0
Property damage only13
Fail to remain8
Involving a pedestrian0
Involving a cyclist0
Involving a motorcyclist0
With a fatality0
Severity not classified7
All since 201422latest Dec 12, 2025

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

Six 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. 50% 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 vehicle610street/outdoor (3), other (2)
Bicycle theft300house driveway/garage (2), other (1)

Source: Toronto Police Service, Theft From Motor Vehicle and Bicycle Thefts open data, records through May 3, 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 North Riverdale.

Nearby intersections

Questions

Is Howland & Simpson a dangerous intersection?

Not by the record: no one was killed or seriously injured here in 2016–2025, though police reported 20 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 Howland & Simpson?

A quiet local crossing. It ranks #2224 of 2,390 counted intersections for vehicles, 13% of the median for a counted intersection.

How fast do cars go at Howland & Simpson?

The City's most recent speed count near the corner, on Simpson Ave between Broadview Ave and Lane W of Howland Rd and N of Simpson (April 2026), 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 113 m away (40 km/h), 2.7% of vehicles were doing 50 km/h or more in July 2026.

Where can I park near Howland & Simpson?

The nearest Green P car park is 653 Gerrard St E (294 m away, 30 spaces, 72% full at the daily peak in Q1 2026). The City's mapping shows 790 parking lots of any kind within 2 km — roughly 31,740 spaces — 46 of them within 500 m; most are private or customer-only lots. The nearest City EV charger is at 963 Gerrard St E (636 m).

How do I get to Howland & Simpson by transit?

Streetcar routes 506, 504, 505, 501 and 1 more stop within 1 km, the nearest 143 m away; bus routes 72, 121, 83 within 1 km.

What restaurants are near Howland & Simpson?

12 restaurants, cafés and takeouts are within 300 m, and 176 within a kilometre, according to Toronto Public Health's DineSafe inspection list. The closest are Bep Viet (69 m), Batifole (73 m), El Hijo de Tizoc (163 m), Hailed Coffee (167 m) and Donutlan (187 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 Howland & Simpson?

The nearest is Withrow Park South Washroom, 725 Logan Ave, 622 m away (open 9 a.m. to 10 p.m.). Next nearest: Matty Eckler Recreation Centre Washroom (627 m); Riverdale Park East Fieldhouse Washroom (657 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 Howland & Simpson?

14 licensed child care centres within 1 km, with 1,222 spaces in total; 5 accept City fee subsidy and some are in the $10-a-day (CWELCC) program. The nearest are Matthew-John Early Learning Centre (226 m, 73 spaces), Riverdale Mighty Kids Corp (328 m, 49 spaces) and Kids Way Daycare (446 m, 15 spaces). Spaces are licensed capacity, not vacancies.

What apartment buildings are near Howland & Simpson?

18 RentSafeTO-registered apartment buildings with 2,092 rental units are within 1 km. The nearest are 793 Gerrard St E (158 m, 28 units, RentSafeTO score 83), 444 Logan Ave (307 m, 159 units, RentSafeTO score 86), 425 Broadview Ave (451 m, 11 units, RentSafeTO score 82) and 369 Pape Ave (595 m, 139 units, RentSafeTO score 93). The average RentSafeTO score across the 18 is 89 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 Howland & Simpson?

Toronto Police place six 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 North Riverdale page.

What neighbourhood is Howland & Simpson in?

Howland & Simpson is in North Riverdale (City of Toronto neighbourhood 068). It is in Ward 14, Toronto-Danforth, represented by Councillor Paula Fletcher.

Sources

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