Toronto · intersection

The Esplanade & Princess

The Esplanade & Princess St · 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, The Esplanade & Princess is a low-volume local intersection, with pedestrians outnumbering vehicles and significant cycling traffic. At the corner: a protected bikeway, a school within 250 m and parks. Nearby: King Station (Line 1) 938 m away. No one has been killed or seriously injured here in the last ten years of records.

Traffic volume
1,480
vehicles · 8-hour count, Jun 15, 2022
3,931 pedestrians · 663 cyclists
Collisions
19
police-reported, any severity · 2016–2025
3 with an injury · 13 property damage · #3518 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 938 m · 4 streetcar routes · 7 bus routes within 1 km
Cycling
Protected
Bi-Directional Cycle Track
Bike Share: 64 docks within 150 m

The latest City count averages about 190 vehicles an hour over its 8-hour span, 16% of the median counted intersection. Pedestrians outnumber vehicles 2.7 to 1 — rare for a Toronto intersection, where the median is one pedestrian for every 13 vehicles. Cyclists were 44.8% of vehicle volume, about 58× the typical share. That comes with about 1.9 reported collisions a year, 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 & Princess

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)938 m
Streetcar
503504508501 nearest 257 m
TTC bus
12175652021141997 nearest 51 m
Blue Night
304301365320
Nearest stops
15 surface stops within 300 m — Princess St at the Esplanade North Side; The Esplanade at Princess St
Cycling
Bi-Directional Cycle Track on The Esplanade installed 2005
Bike Share
Lower Sherbourne St / The Esplanade (North) 95 m · 23 docks · 50 stations, 1,155 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 (24)
  • Market Lane Jr & Sr Public SchoolEnglish Public · 123 m
  • St Michael Catholic Elementary School - Bldg 1English Separate · 327 m
  • George Brown College - St James CampusCollege · 384 m
  • Downtown Alternative SchoolEnglish Public · 391 m
  • Voice Integrative Private SchoolPrivate · 504 m
  • George Brown College - Waterfront CampusCollege · 602 m
  • and 18 more
Parks (46)
  • David Crombie Park119 m
  • Princess Street Park126 m
  • Parliament Square Park278 m
  • Sherbourne Common503 m
  • Market Lane Park511 m
  • Little Trinity Church Lands515 m
  • and 40 more
Library
  • Toronto Public Library St. Lawrence branch200 m
  • Toronto Public Library Parliament Street branch1.4 km
  • Toronto Public Library City Hall branch1.5 km
Places of interest
  • Canadian Stage (Berkeley Street Theatre)Performing Arts · 226 m
  • Young People's TheatrePerforming Arts · 234 m
  • Museum of Illusions TorontoMuseum · 298 m
  • Alumnae TheatrePerforming Arts · 388 m
  • Illuminarium TorontoAttraction · 446 m
  • St. Lawrence Market and Market GalleryAttraction · 446 m
  • Toronto's First Post OfficeMuseum · 449 m
  • Thompson Landry Gallery - Stone Building & Cooperage SpaceGallery · 477 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 34 eating places within 300 m of this corner, plus 4 grocery and convenience stores; within a kilometre the count is 346 — 4.7× the median for a Toronto intersection. The nearest is Cluck Cluck's, 53 m away, which passed its last DineSafe inspection in November 2025.

Restaurants & cafés34 within 300 m · 346 within 1 km
Grocery & convenience4 within 300 m · 54 within 1 km
Nearest food premisesDistanceLatest DineSafe inspection
Cluck Cluck's · 222 the Esplanade53 mPassed, Nov 2025
Moegi Sushi · 222 the Esplanade Unit-453 mPassed, Aug 2026 · 1 infraction
Pizza Nova · 222 the Esplanade53 mPassed, Aug 2025
Royal Foodland · 222 the Esplanade53 mPassed, Jul 2024
Subway · 222 the Esplanade, Unit-1b53 mPassed, Oct 2025
The Bhais Shawarma & Grill · 222 the Esplanade Unit-353 mPassed, Aug 2026 · 2 infractions
St Lawrence Pharmacy · 126 Lower Sherbourne St125 mPassed, Dec 2023
No Frills · 200 Front St E Nonegrocery154 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, 103 m away, View centre hours. A drinking fountain is 108 m away at David Crombie Park.

  • St. Lawrence Community Recreation Centre Washroom · 230 The Esplanade
    View centre hours
    103 m
  • St Lawrence Tent · 125 The Esplanade Street
    Mon-Sat Closed, Sun 10:00am-5:00pm
    441 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
    469 m
Drinking water
David Crombie Park drinking fountain · 108 m; David Crombie Park drinking fountain · 173 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 665 spaces; seven accept City fee subsidy. The nearest is St. Lawrence Co-Operative Day Care School Age (230 the Esplanade) (103 m, 74 spaces, preschool, kindergarten).

Within 1 km10 centres · 665 spaces
Fee subsidy7 of 10
  • St. Lawrence Co-Operative Day Care School Age (230 the Esplanade) · 230 the Esplanade
    74 spaces · preschool, kindergarten · fee subsidy · $10-a-day
    103 m
  • St. Lawrence Co-Operative Day Care (2 Princess Street) · 2 Princess St
    49 spaces · toddler, preschool · fee subsidy · $10-a-day
    171 m
  • Distillery District Early Learning Centre · 8 Distillery Lane
    85 spaces · toddler, preschool · $10-a-day
    392 m
  • St. Lawrence Infant Toddler Centre (4 Market Street) · 4 Market St
    40 spaces · infant, toddler · fee subsidy · $10-a-day
    488 m

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

Emergency services

The nearest fire hall is Fire Station 333 (132 m), the nearest police station 51 Division (431 m) and the nearest ambulance station 918 m away.

FireFire Station 333 · 132 m207 Front St E
Police51 Division · 431 m51 Parliament Street
AmbulanceAmbulance Station 40 · 918 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 46 RentSafeTO-registered apartment buildings — 6,829 rental units, 2.0× the median for a Toronto intersection — 31 social or Toronto Community Housing. The nearest is 31 Princess St (84 m, 82 units, 10 storeys, built 1994), which scored 81 out of 100 at its June 2024 RentSafeTO evaluation. None scored below 70; the average is 91, about the citywide norm. The Landlord and Tenant Board issued 107 final orders naming these buildings in the latest half-year of its catalogue, and 79 fire-code violations are open across them.

Registered buildings46 · 6,829 units · 31 social housing
RentSafeTO score91 average · none below 70
LTB orders, Jan 2026 – Jun 2026107 across the 46
Open fire-code violations79
Tallest31 storeys
Nearest buildingsUnitsStoreysBuiltScoreLTB ordersDistance
31 Princess Stsocial housing · Kral Property Management Inc.8210199481 · Jun 2024084 m
15 Scadding AveToronto Community Housing · Toronto Community Housing Corporation2519198284 · Jul 20254 · 1 fire100 m
176 The EsplanadeToronto Community Housing · TCH2207200695 · Nov 20252 · 1 fire155 m
171 Front St EToronto Community Housing · Toronto Community Housing Corporation613198293 · Nov 20250211 m
33 Hahn Plsocial housing · Les Centres D'accueil Heritage (Owns and Manages Bldg Cah Is Not A Property Mngmt Co)1358198084 · Jul 20255 · 4 fire273 m
5 Hahn Plsocial housing · St Clare's Multifaith Housing324198090 · Sep 20240277 m
140 The EsplanadeToronto Community Housing · TCH1027199381 · Nov 20251346 m
501 Adelaide St EToronto Community Housing · Greenwin18013200990 · Nov 20250 · 1 fire363 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 lots627 lots · ≈28,180 spaces · 84.6 ha
Within 500 m44 lots · ≈2,600 spaces
Green P (public)22 car parks · about 6,864 spaces
EV charging (City)51 Dockside Dr. · 602 m · 5 Level 2 ports
Bike parking145 post-and-rings within 300 m · racks for 67 bikes within 600 m · Indoor bike station, 97 Front St W (1.4 km)
Green P car parkDistanceSpacesPeak occupancy
44 Parliament Street · Surface315 m120 *
271 Front Street East · Surface329 m83 *
31A Parliament Street · Surface354 m230 *
323 Richmond St E · Garage492 m25253% (Q1 2026)
185 Queens Quay East · Surface555 m83 *

Nearest lots: 103 m away, ≈22 spaces; 140 m away, ≈41 spaces; 145 m away, ≈32 spaces; 176 m away, ≈49 spaces; 177 m away, ≈28 spaces; 185 m away, ≈40 spaces. More EV charging: 51 Dockside Dr (602 m, 6 ports); 2 Church St. (647 m, 28 ports); Yonge Street at Dundas St. (1.4 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, Jun 15, 2022

Traffic is heaviest from the east: 519 westbound vehicles entered from that leg, 35% of the total, against 95 from the west. Most cyclists arrived from the east (310 of 663). Unusually, the morning peak is the heavier one — 256 vehicles in the hour from 8:30 a.m., 9% above the afternoon peak from 2:45 p.m. (235). Trucks and buses were 11.3% 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 north432southbound · 68 bikes · 7.4% heavy
From the west95eastbound · 251 bikes · 33.7% heavy
Total vehicles1,4803,931 pedestrians · 663 cyclists · 11.3% heavy
From the east519westbound · 310 bikes · 18.5% heavy
From the south434northbound · 34 bikes · 1.6% heavy
AM peak hour256 vehicles from 8:30 a.m.
PM peak hour235 vehicles from 2:45 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 Princess St between Duke Mews and Adelaide St E, 331 m from the corner, a 3-day count in August 2020 put the average speed at 25 km/h and the 85th-percentile speed at 33 km/h, with the fastest one in twenty at 38 km/h or more. That segment carries about 700 vehicles a day. The reading is 6 years old; the City counts on request rather than on a schedule.

Street segmentCountedVehicles / dayAverage85th percentile95th
Princess St · Duke Mews – Adelaide St E · 331 mAug 2020 · 3 days72825 km/h33 km/h38 km/h
The Esplanade · Lower Jarvis St – George St S · 358 mFeb 2020 · 7 days7,212

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 3 collisions; 2025 recorded 2. 3 collisions (16%) involved an injury. 5 drivers failed to remain at the scene — 26% of collisions. 3 collisions involved a pedestrian or cyclist (16%). The most recent report on file is from Dec 13, 2025.

By year

16171819202122232425
2016–2025Collisions
All reported collisions19#3518 of 5,508
With an injury3#3498 of 4,660
Property damage only13
Fail to remain5
Involving a pedestrian2#2022 of 3,193
Involving a cyclist1#2420 of 2,576
Involving a motorcyclist0
With a fatality0
Severity not classified3
All since 201423latest Dec 13, 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

Five thefts from vehicles and 24 bike thefts were reported around this corner in 2016–2025 — 4.8× the median for a Toronto intersection with any reported theft. The pace has slowed: 6 in 2023–2025, about 2.0 a year, against 3.3 a year before that. 80% of the vehicle thefts were from the street or other outdoor spots; 63% of the bike thefts were from apartment-building parking. Since January 2026, 1 more has been reported, the latest on Jun 13, 2026.

By year

16171819202122232425
2016–2025Reported2023–2025Since Jan 2026Most often from
Theft from a vehicle520street/outdoor (4), apartment parking (1)
Bicycle theft2441apartment parking (15), street/outdoor (4)

Source: Toronto Police Service, Theft From Motor Vehicle and Bicycle Thefts open data, records through Jun 13, 2026. 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 & Princess a dangerous intersection?

Not by the record: no one was killed or seriously injured here in 2016–2025, though police reported 19 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 & Princess?

A low-volume local intersection. Its latest count is from Jun 15, 2022, 16% of the median for a counted intersection.

How fast do cars go at The Esplanade & Princess?

The City's most recent speed count near the corner, on Princess St between Duke Mews and Adelaide St E (August 2020), found an average of 25 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 & Princess?

The nearest Green P car park is 44 Parliament Street (315 m away, 120 spaces). The City's mapping shows 627 parking lots of any kind within 2 km — roughly 28,180 spaces — 44 of them within 500 m; most are private or customer-only lots. The nearest City EV charger is at 51 Dockside Dr. (602 m).

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

King Station (Line 1) is 938 m away; streetcar routes 503, 504, 508, 501 stop within 1 km, the nearest 257 m away; bus routes 121, 75, 65, 202, 114, 19, 97 within 1 km (nearest stop: Princess St at the Esplanade North Side, 51 m).

What restaurants are near The Esplanade & Princess?

34 restaurants, cafés and takeouts are within 300 m, and 346 within a kilometre, according to Toronto Public Health's DineSafe inspection list. The closest are Cluck Cluck's (53 m), Moegi Sushi (53 m), Pizza Nova (53 m), Royal Foodland (53 m) and Subway (53 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 & Princess?

The nearest is St. Lawrence Community Recreation Centre Washroom, 230 The Esplanade, 103 m away (View centre hours). Next nearest: St Lawrence Tent (441 m); St Lawrence South (469 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 & Princess?

Ten licensed child care centres within 1 km, with 665 spaces in total; 7 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) (103 m, 74 spaces), St. Lawrence Co-Operative Day Care (2 Princess Street) (171 m, 49 spaces) and Distillery District Early Learning Centre (392 m, 85 spaces). Spaces are licensed capacity, not vacancies.

What apartment buildings are near The Esplanade & Princess?

46 RentSafeTO-registered apartment buildings with 6,829 rental units are within 1 km. The nearest are 31 Princess St (84 m, 82 units, RentSafeTO score 81), 15 Scadding Ave (100 m, 251 units, RentSafeTO score 84), 176 The Esplanade (155 m, 220 units, RentSafeTO score 95) and 171 Front St E (211 m, 61 units, RentSafeTO score 93). The average RentSafeTO score across the 46 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 & Princess?

Toronto Police place five thefts from vehicles and 24 bicycle thefts at this intersection in 2016–2025, plus 1 since January 2026. 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 & Princess in?

The Esplanade & Princess 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