Toronto · intersection

The Esplanade & Berkeley

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

The Esplanade & Berkeley, in St Lawrence-East Bayfront-The Islands, in the downtown core, is a lightly travelled intersection, with pedestrians outnumbering vehicles and significant cycling traffic. At the corner: a protected bikeway, a school within 250 m and parks. Nearby: 12 TTC routes within a kilometre. No one has been killed or seriously injured here in the last ten years of records.

Traffic volume
1,011
vehicles · 8-hour count, Mar 24, 2022
1,930 pedestrians · 60 cyclists
Collisions
16
police-reported, any severity · 2016–2025
6 with an injury · 5 property damage · #3742 of 5,508 · +1 since Jan 2026
KSI collisions
0
killed or seriously injured · 2016–2025
none in the window · 1 before 2016
Red-light camera
None
not on the City's camera list
Transit
1
TTC stop within 100 m
4 streetcar routes · 5 bus routes within 1 km
Cycling
Protected
Bi-Directional Cycle Track, Multi-Use Trail - Existing Connector
Bike Share: 15 docks within 150 m

Across the 8-hour count, traffic averaged roughly 130 vehicles an hour, 11% of the median counted intersection. Pedestrians outnumber vehicles 1.9 to 1 — rare for a Toronto intersection, where the median is one pedestrian for every 13 vehicles. Cyclists were 5.9% of vehicle volume, about 7.7× the typical share. Police have logged an average of 1.6 collisions a year here over 2016–2025 — roughly the median for a Toronto intersection. No one was killed or seriously injured in any of them.

Map

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The Esplanade & Berkeley

Getting here

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

Transit & cycling

Streetcar
503504508501 nearest 271 m
TTC bus
1216520275114 nearest 90 m
Blue Night
304301365
Nearest stops
15 surface stops within 300 m — Berkeley St at Front St East South Side
Cycling
Bi-Directional Cycle Track on The Esplanade installed 2005; Bi-Directional Cycle Track on Parliament Square Park Trl installed 2023; Multi-Use Trail - Existing Connector on Parliament Square Park Trl installed 2005
Bike Share
The Esplanade / Hahn Pl 68 m · 15 docks · 44 stations, 966 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)
  • Market Lane Jr & Sr Public SchoolEnglish Public · 101 m
  • Voice Integrative Private SchoolPrivate · 293 m
  • George Brown College - Young Centre For the Performing ArtsCollege · 496 m
  • Inglenook Community SchoolEnglish Public · 544 m
  • George Brown College - St James CampusCollege · 546 m
  • St Michael Catholic Elementary School - Bldg 1English Separate · 549 m
  • and 16 more
Parks (46)
  • Parliament Square Park63 m
  • Princess Street Park291 m
  • Little Trinity Church Lands338 m
  • David Crombie Park340 m
  • 40 Power St Park466 m
  • Orphan's Green538 m
  • and 40 more
Library
  • Toronto Public Library St. Lawrence branch384 m
  • Toronto Public Library Parliament Street branch1.4 km
Places of interest
  • Canadian Stage (Berkeley Street Theatre)Performing Arts · 69 m
  • Illuminarium TorontoAttraction · 237 m
  • Thompson Landry Gallery - Stone Building & Cooperage SpaceGallery · 273 m
  • Alumnae TheatrePerforming Arts · 313 m
  • The Distillery Historic DistrictLandmark · 354 m
  • Young People's TheatrePerforming Arts · 425 m
  • Young Centre for the Performing ArtsPerforming Arts · 481 m
  • Museum of Illusions TorontoMuseum · 490 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 27 eating places within 300 m of this corner, plus 5 grocery and convenience stores; within a kilometre the count is 335 — 4.6× the median for a Toronto intersection. The nearest is St. Lawrence Cafe Bazzar, 3 m away, which passed its last DineSafe inspection in April 2025 with 1 infraction noted.

Restaurants & cafés27 within 300 m · 335 within 1 km
Grocery & convenience5 within 300 m · 59 within 1 km
Nearest food premisesDistanceLatest DineSafe inspection
St. Lawrence Cafe Bazzar · 248 the Esplanade3 mPassed, Apr 2025 · 1 infraction
Berkeley Cafe · 262 the Esplanade3 mPassed, Aug 2025
Village's Mini-Market · 252 the Esplanadegrocery3 mPassed, Jun 2024
Centre des Pioneers · 33 Hahn Pl Unit-104103 mPassed, May 2026
Spirithouse Toronto · 16 Trinity St168 mPassed, May 2026
Cluck Cluck's · 222 the Esplanade170 mPassed, Nov 2025
Moegi Sushi · 222 the Esplanade Unit-4170 mPassed, Aug 2026 · 1 infraction
Pizza Nova · 222 the Esplanade170 mPassed, Aug 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 St. Lawrence Community Recreation Centre Washroom, 120 m away, View centre hours. A drinking fountain is 77 m away at Parliament Square Park.

  • St. Lawrence Community Recreation Centre Washroom · 230 The Esplanade
    View centre hours
    120 m
  • East Bayfront Community Recreation Centre Washrooms · 261 Queens Quay East
    View centre hours · accessible
    460 m
  • Sherbourne Common Outdoor Rink Washroom · 5 Lower Sherbourne St
    9 a.m. to 10 p.m.
    623 m
Drinking water
Parliament Square Park drinking fountain · 77 m; David Crombie Park drinking fountain · 78 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

11 licensed child care centres within a kilometre offer 717 spaces; nine accept City fee subsidy. The nearest is St. Lawrence Co-Operative Day Care School Age (230 the Esplanade) (121 m, 74 spaces, preschool, kindergarten).

Within 1 km11 centres · 717 spaces
Fee subsidy9 of 11
  • St. Lawrence Co-Operative Day Care School Age (230 the Esplanade) · 230 the Esplanade
    74 spaces · preschool, kindergarten · fee subsidy · $10-a-day
    121 m
  • Distillery District Early Learning Centre · 8 Distillery Lane
    85 spaces · toddler, preschool · $10-a-day
    189 m
  • St. Lawrence Co-Operative Day Care (2 Princess Street) · 2 Princess St
    49 spaces · toddler, preschool · fee subsidy · $10-a-day
    309 m
  • Aquabella Child Care · 75 Edgewater Dr
    62 spaces · infant, toddler, preschool · fee subsidy · $10-a-day
    523 m

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

Emergency services

The nearest fire hall is Fire Station 333 (215 m), the nearest police station 51 Division (234 m) and the nearest ambulance station 1.1 km away.

FireFire Station 333 · 215 m207 Front St E
Police51 Division · 234 m51 Parliament Street
AmbulanceAmbulance Station 40 · 1.1 km58 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 44 RentSafeTO-registered apartment buildings — 6,169 rental units — 34 social or Toronto Community Housing. The nearest is 33 Hahn Pl (104 m, 135 units, 8 storeys, built 1980), which scored 84 out of 100 at its July 2025 RentSafeTO evaluation. None scored below 70; the average is 91, about the citywide norm. The Landlord and Tenant Board issued 102 final orders naming these buildings in the latest half-year of its catalogue, and 69 fire-code violations are open across them.

Registered buildings44 · 6,169 units · 34 social housing
RentSafeTO score91 average · none below 70
LTB orders, Jan 2026 – Jun 2026102 across the 44
Open fire-code violations69
Tallest26 storeys
Nearest buildingsUnitsStoreysBuiltScoreLTB ordersDistance
33 Hahn Plsocial housing · Les Centres D'accueil Heritage (Owns and Manages Bldg Cah Is Not A Property Mngmt Co)1358198084 · Jul 20255 · 4 fire104 m
5 Hahn Plsocial housing · St Clare's Multifaith Housing324198090 · Sep 20240163 m
31 Princess Stsocial housing · Kral Property Management Inc.8210199481 · Jun 20240199 m
501 Adelaide St EToronto Community Housing · Greenwin18013200990 · Nov 20250 · 1 fire308 m
15 Scadding AveToronto Community Housing · Toronto Community Housing Corporation2519198284 · Jul 20254 · 1 fire311 m
176 The EsplanadeToronto Community Housing · TCH2207200695 · Nov 20252 · 1 fire376 m
171 Front St EToronto Community Housing · Toronto Community Housing Corporation613198293 · Nov 20250399 m
101 Ontario Stsocial housing528200592 · Oct 20250550 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 lots656 lots · ≈32,150 spaces · 96.4 ha
Within 500 m55 lots · ≈2,940 spaces
Green P (public)24 car parks · about 7,023 spaces
EV charging (City)51 Dockside Dr. · 704 m · 5 Level 2 ports
Bike parking136 post-and-rings within 300 m · racks for 94 bikes within 600 m · Indoor bike station, 97 Front St W (1.6 km)
Green P car parkDistanceSpacesPeak occupancy
44 Parliament Street · Surface93 m120 *
271 Front Street East · Surface135 m83 *
31A Parliament Street · Surface161 m230 *
373 Front Street East · Surface404 m450 *
70 Distillery Lane · Garage484 m103 *

Nearest lots: 55 m away, ≈104 spaces (Green P); 96 m away, ≈28 spaces; 98 m away, ≈15 spaces; 147 m away, ≈32 spaces; 205 m away, ≈37 spaces; 219 m away, ≈41 spaces. More EV charging: 51 Dockside Dr (704 m, 6 ports); 2 Church St. (868 m, 28 ports); Yonge Street at Dundas St. (1.6 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 — 8-hour, Mar 24, 2022

Traffic is heaviest from the north: 594 southbound vehicles entered from that leg, 59% of the total, against 417 from the south. The morning and afternoon peaks are nearly equal: 152 vehicles in the hour from 8:15 a.m. and 141 from 5:00 p.m. Trucks and buses were 12.1% 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 5 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 north594southbound · 26 bikes · 17.2% heavy
From the west0eastbound · 6 bikes · 0.0% heavy
Total vehicles1,0111,930 pedestrians · 60 cyclists · 12.1% heavy
From the east0westbound · 0 bikes · 0.0% heavy
From the south417northbound · 28 bikes · 4.8% heavy
AM peak hour152 vehicles from 8:15 a.m.
PM peak hour141 vehicles from 5:00 p.m.
Count8-hour · Mar 24, 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 Berkeley St between King St E and Adelaide St E, 285 m from the corner, a 7-day count in June 2018 put the average speed at 24 km/h and the 85th-percentile speed at 33 km/h, with the fastest one in twenty at 39 km/h or more. That segment carries about 2,100 vehicles a day. The reading is 8 years old; the City counts on request rather than on a schedule.

Street segmentCountedVehicles / dayAverage85th percentile95th
Berkeley St · King St E – Adelaide St E · 285 mJun 2018 · 7 days2,10424 km/h33 km/h39 km/h

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 2016, with 4 collisions; 2025 recorded 2. 6 collisions (38%) involved an injury. 5 drivers failed to remain at the scene — 31% of collisions. 5 collisions involved a pedestrian or cyclist (31%). Since January 2026, 1 more collision has been reported; they sit outside the ranking window. The most recent report on file is from Jan 13, 2026.

By year

16171819202122232425
2016–2025Collisions
All reported collisions16#3742 of 5,508
With an injury6#2549 of 4,660
Property damage only5
Fail to remain5
Involving a pedestrian3#1423 of 3,193
Involving a cyclist2#1385 of 2,576
Involving a motorcyclist1
With a fatality0
Severity not classified5
Since January 2026 (outside the window)1
All since 201418latest Jan 13, 2026

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

Nothing in 2016–2025, the ten complete years the rankings use. 1 earlier KSI collision is on file, the last on Jun 1, 2011.

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

Five 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. 60% 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 vehicle510street/outdoor (3), commercial premises (1)
Bicycle theft330street/outdoor (2), other (1)

Source: Toronto Police Service, Theft From Motor Vehicle and Bicycle Thefts open data, records through Jul 30, 2025. 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 The Esplanade & Berkeley a dangerous intersection?

Not by the record: no one was killed or seriously injured here in 2016–2025, though police reported 16 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 The Esplanade & Berkeley?

A lightly travelled intersection. Its latest count is from Mar 24, 2022, 11% of the median for a counted intersection.

How fast do cars go at The Esplanade & Berkeley?

The City's most recent speed count near the corner, on Berkeley St between King St E and Adelaide St E (June 2018), found an average of 24 km/h and an 85th-percentile speed of 33 km/h — meaning 85% of drivers were at or below that speed.

Where can I park near The Esplanade & Berkeley?

The nearest Green P car park is 44 Parliament Street (93 m away, 120 spaces). The City's mapping shows 656 parking lots of any kind within 2 km — roughly 32,150 spaces — 55 of them within 500 m; most are private or customer-only lots. The nearest City EV charger is at 51 Dockside Dr. (704 m).

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

Streetcar routes 503, 504, 508, 501 stop within 1 km, the nearest 271 m away; bus routes 121, 65, 202, 75, 114 within 1 km (nearest stop: Berkeley St at Front St East South Side, 90 m).

What restaurants are near The Esplanade & Berkeley?

27 restaurants, cafés and takeouts are within 300 m, and 335 within a kilometre, according to Toronto Public Health's DineSafe inspection list. The closest are St. Lawrence Cafe Bazzar (3 m), Berkeley Cafe (3 m), Centre des Pioneers (103 m), Spirithouse Toronto (168 m) and Cluck Cluck's (170 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 The Esplanade & Berkeley?

The nearest is St. Lawrence Community Recreation Centre Washroom, 230 The Esplanade, 120 m away (View centre hours). Next nearest: East Bayfront Community Recreation Centre Washrooms (460 m); Sherbourne Common Outdoor Rink Washroom (623 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 The Esplanade & Berkeley?

11 licensed child care centres within 1 km, with 717 spaces in total; 9 accept City fee subsidy and some are in the $10-a-day (CWELCC) program. The nearest are St. Lawrence Co-Operative Day Care School Age (230 the Esplanade) (121 m, 74 spaces), Distillery District Early Learning Centre (189 m, 85 spaces) and St. Lawrence Co-Operative Day Care (2 Princess Street) (309 m, 49 spaces). Spaces are licensed capacity, not vacancies.

What apartment buildings are near The Esplanade & Berkeley?

44 RentSafeTO-registered apartment buildings with 6,169 rental units are within 1 km. The nearest are 33 Hahn Pl (104 m, 135 units, RentSafeTO score 84), 5 Hahn Pl (163 m, 32 units, RentSafeTO score 90), 31 Princess St (199 m, 82 units, RentSafeTO score 81) and 501 Adelaide St E (308 m, 180 units, RentSafeTO score 90). The average RentSafeTO score across the 44 is 91 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 The Esplanade & Berkeley?

Toronto Police place five 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 The Esplanade & Berkeley in?

The Esplanade & Berkeley 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