Toronto · intersection

The Esplanade & Scott

The Esplanade & Scott St · Toronto, Ontario · St Lawrence-East Bayfront-The Islands · Ward 10, Spadina-Fort York · Old Town Toronto BIA

The Esplanade & Scott is a lightly travelled intersection, with pedestrians outnumbering vehicles and significant cycling traffic. It sits in St Lawrence-East Bayfront-The Islands, in the downtown core. At the corner: a protected bikeway and a park. Nearby: King Station (Line 1) 396 m away and Union Station GO 640 m away.

Traffic
3,373
vehicles · 14-hour count, Jul 17, 2024
6,856 pedestrians · 869 cyclists
Collisions
78
police-reported · 2016–2025
none killed or seriously injured · #1414 of 5,519
Getting there
0
TTC stops within 100 m
King Station 396 m · 20 routes within 1 km · protected bikeway
Within a walk
77/100
city median 48 · #479 of 5,672
28 places to eat within 300 m · grocery 177 m

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The Esplanade & Scott

Traffic and safety

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

Traffic volume14-hour count · Jul 17, 2024

This is a three-leg intersection with no south leg. Traffic is heaviest from the west: 1,409 eastbound vehicles entered from that leg, 42% of the total, against 854 from the north. Most cyclists arrived from the east (439 of 869). Evening rush dominates here: 315 vehicles in the peak hour from 3:15 p.m., against 263 in the morning peak from 8:30 a.m. Heavy vehicles made up 3.0% of traffic (typical: 3.2%). For scale, a typical counted intersection in Toronto sees 16,177 vehicles over 14 hours. The count is 2 years old; the City recounts intersections on an ad-hoc schedule, so volumes may have shifted since.

From the north854southbound · 147 bikes · 2.6% heavy
From the west1,409eastbound · 262 bikes · 2.3% heavy
Total vehicles3,3736,856 pedestrians · 869 cyclists · 3.0% heavy
From the east1,110westbound · 439 bikes · 4.2% heavy
From the south0northbound · 21 bikes · 0.0% heavy

Peak hours: 263 vehicles in the hour from 8:30 a.m. and 315 from 3:15 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 2018, with 13 collisions; 2025 recorded 10. 3 collisions (4%) involved an injury; the citywide share is 15%. 22 drivers failed to remain at the scene — 28% of collisions, a higher hit-and-run share than the city's 16%. 3 collisions involved a pedestrian or cyclist (4%), typical for the city. Since January 2026, 11 more collisions have been reported; they sit outside the ranking window. The most recent report on file is from Sep 30, 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 collisions78#1414 of 5,519
With an injury3
Property damage only55
Fail to remain22
Involving a pedestrian2
Involving a cyclist1
Severity not classified20
Since January 2026 (outside the window)11
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.

Speeds here, last measured in 2018

On The Esplanade between Yonge St and Scott St, 58 m from the corner, a 7-day count in June 2018 put the average speed at 22 km/h and the 85th-percentile speed at 30 km/h, with the fastest one in twenty at 35 km/h or more. That segment carries about 4,000 vehicles a day. The reading is 8 years old; the City counts on request rather than on a schedule.

Street segmentCountedVehicles / dayAverage85th percentile95th
The Esplanade · Yonge St – Scott St · 58 mJun 2018 · 7 days3,96122 km/h30 km/h35 km/h
Scott St · Wellington St E – Victoria St · 251 mSep 2020 · 3 days375———

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
King Station (Line 1)396 m · 5 min; Union Station (Line 1)500 m · 6 min; Queen Station (Line 1)813 m · 10 min; St Andrew Station (Line 1)1 km · 12 min
GO Transit
Union Station GO — Barrie, Kitchener, Lakeshore East, Lakeshore West, Milton, Richmond Hill, Stouffville640 m · 8 min; GO bus 31 Guelph / Toronto 21 Milton 16 Hamilton / Toronto Express 71 Stouffville 90 Lakeshore East 65 Newmarket / Toronto 61 Richmond Hill 68 Barrie / Newmarket 18 Lakeshore West 35 Union Pearson Express at Union Station Bus Terminal448 m · 5 min
UP Express
UP Express Union Station 935 m · 11 min — trains to Pearson
VIA Rail
Toronto 677 m · 8 min
Streetcar
503 504 508 509 510 501 nearest 416 m · 5 min
TTC bus
121 19 97 114 202 75 nearest 105 m
Blue Night
304 310 301 320
Nearest stops
5 surface stops within 300 m
Cycling
Bi-Directional Cycle Track on The Esplanade installed 2025
Bike Share
Scott St / The Esplanade 31 m · 19 docks · 60 stations, 1,428 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
18 car parks · about 6,619 spaces
EV charging
2 Church St. · 283 m · 24 Level 2 + 4 fast ports; also 40 York St (803 m), 51 Dockside Dr. (1.3 km)
Bike parking
99 post-and-rings within 300 m · racks for 60 bikes within 600 m · Indoor bike station, 97 Front St W (730 m)
Other lots
14 mapped lots within 500 m, 357 within 2 km — private, commercial or institutional, and often for customers or residents only
Green P car parkDistanceSpacesPeak occupancy
2 Church St · Garage285 m1,97216% (Q1 2026)
40 York St · Garage764 m31141% (Q1 2026)
37 Queen St E · Garage829 m63152% (Q1 2026)
87 Richmond St E · Surface859 m2092% (Q1 2026)
185 Queens Quay East · Surface1.2 km83 *—

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

A grocery store is within 300 m of the corner — the nearest is Nicks No Frills, 177 m away. There is also a specialist food shop, Whisk Bakery, 204 m away. Toronto Public Health inspects 28 eating places within 300 m of this corner; within a kilometre the count is 350 — 8.5× the median for a Toronto intersection. The nearest is Eloise-Barcart, 29 m away. The nearest pharmacy is Rexall, 319 m away; 12 pharmacies are within a kilometre. The nearest hospital site is St. Michael's Hospital, 940 m away.

Restaurants & cafés
  • Eloise-Barcart · 38 the Esplanade29 m
  • The Keg · 38 the Esplanade29 m
  • Urban Maharajas · 22 the Esplanade None42 m
  • Cafe Nicole · 45 the Esplanade85 m
  • Old Spaghetti Factory · 54 the Esplanade112 m
28 within 300 m · 350 within 1 km
Grocery
Nicks No Frills 177 m · 12 within 1 km
Food shops
Whisk Bakery 204 m · butcher, bakery or food shop
Convenience
1 convenience store or gas bar within 300 m
Pharmacy
Rexall 319 m · 4 min · 12 within 1 km
Child care
  • St. Lawrence Infant Toddler Centre (4 Market Street) · 40 spaces, infant, toddler · fee subsidy · $10-a-day350 m · 4 min
  • Mothercraft Brookfield Place · 52 spaces, infant, toddler, preschool · fee subsidy · $10-a-day453 m · 5 min
  • Pinnacle Jr YMCA · 44 spaces, infant, toddler, preschool · fee subsidy · $10-a-day467 m · 6 min
8 licensed centres · 494 spaces within 1 km · 6 accept City fee subsidy
Washrooms
  • St Lawrence Tent · Mon-Sat Closed, Sun 10:00am-5:00pm396 m · 5 min
  • St Lawrence South · Mon Closed, Tue-Fri 8:30am-7:30pm, Sat 6:30am-5:30pm, Sun 9:30am-5:30pm · accessible474 m · 6 min
Drinking water: Berczy Park 172 m; David Crombie Park 543 m · 6 min
Health and care
  • St. Michael's Hospital · hospital site940 m · 11 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)
  • Berczy Park217 m
  • Courthouse Square Park547 m · 7 min
  • Toronto Sculpture Garden582 m · 7 min
  • Market Lane Park662 m · 8 min
  • St. James Park685 m · 8 min
and 30 more within 1.5 km
Community centres
Schools (18)
  • Downtown Alternative SchoolEnglish Public · 483 m · 6 min
  • Keystone International SchoolsPrivate · 543 m · 6 min
  • St Michael Catholic Elementary School - Bldg 1English Separate · 577 m · 7 min
  • Victoria Street LINCEnglish Public · 578 m · 7 min
  • George Brown College - St James CampusCollege · 807 m · 10 min
and 13 more within 1.5 km
Library
  • Toronto Public Library St. Lawrence branch813 m · 10 min
  • Toronto Public Library City Hall branch1.3 km · 15 min
Places of interest
  • Meridian Hall (formerly Sony Centre for the Performing Arts)Performing Arts · 108 m
  • St. Lawrence Centre for the ArtsPerforming Arts · 166 m
  • Gooderham Flatiron BuildingLandmark · 307 m · 4 min
  • Hockey Hall of FameAttraction · 326 m · 4 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.

Not within a walk: a care or retirement home.

77of 100
Scored from the records above

The median Toronto intersection scores 48. This corner is #479 of 5,672. It counts what can be reached, not how pleasant or safe the walk is.

  • Groceries and food28/30

    1 grocery store within 300 m · 28 places to eat within 300 m

  • Transit22/28

    King Station 0.4 km · 5 stops within 300 m · 20 routes within 1 km

  • Library and places to go12/14

    library 813 m away · 5 places of interest within 500 m

  • Parks and recreation8/10

    1 park within 500 m · 1 community centre within 800 m

  • Schools and child care7/8

    1 school within 500 m · 3 licensed child care within 500 m

  • Crossing on foot0/10

    no crossing features on file

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 16 RentSafeTO-registered apartment buildings — 1,997 rental units — 12 social or Toronto Community Housing. The nearest is 55 The Esplanade (124 m, 166 units, 12 storeys, built 1983), which scored 80 out of 100 at its July 2025 RentSafeTO evaluation. None scored below 70; the average is 87, below the 90 typical of Toronto intersections.

Nearest buildingsUnitsStoreysBuiltScoreDistance
55 The Esplanade Toronto Community Housing · Toronto Community Housing Corporation16612198380 · Jul 2025124 m
85 The Esplanade social housing · Affordable Property Management1287199793 · Jul 2025217 m
1 Church St Toronto Community Housing · Toronto Community Housing Corporation11513199683 · Sep 2024232 m
110 The Esplanade social housing · Affordable Property Management2059199396 · Jul 2024329 m · 4 min
36 Church St416196583 · Nov 2025416 m · 5 min
140 The Esplanade Toronto Community Housing · TCH1027199381 · Nov 2025492 m · 6 min

16 registered buildings · 1,997 units · 12 social housing · tallest 13 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

74 thefts from vehicles and 34 bike thefts were reported around this corner in 2016–2025 — 18× the median for a Toronto intersection with any reported theft. The pace has slowed: 11 in 2023–2025, about 3.7 a year, against 13.9 a year before that. 86% of the vehicle thefts were from the street or other outdoor spots; 50% of the bike thefts were from apartment-building parking. Since January 2026, 4 more have been reported, the latest on Jun 7, 2026.

By year

16171819202122232425
2016–2025Reported2023–2025Since Jan 2026Most often from
Theft from a vehicle7494street/outdoor (64), apartment parking (5)
Bicycle theft3420apartment parking (17), street/outdoor (9)

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 & Scott a dangerous intersection?

Not by the record: no one was killed or seriously injured here in 2016–2025, though police reported 78 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 & Scott?

A lightly travelled intersection. Its latest count is from Jul 17, 2024, 21% of the median for a counted intersection, and #314 for pedestrians.

Is The Esplanade & Scott a walkable intersection?

The Esplanade & Scott scores 77 out of 100 on this site's within-a-walk measure — #479 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: 1 grocery store within 300 m · 28 places to eat within 300 m; 1 school within 500 m · 3 licensed child care within 500 m; library 813 m away · 5 places of interest within 500 m.

How fast do cars go at The Esplanade & Scott?

The City's most recent speed count near the corner, on The Esplanade between Yonge St and Scott St (June 2018), found an average of 22 km/h and an 85th-percentile speed of 30 km/h — meaning 85% of drivers were at or below that speed.

Where can I park near The Esplanade & Scott?

The nearest Green P car park is 2 Church St (285 m away, 1,972 spaces, 16% full at the daily peak in Q1 2026). The City's mapping shows 357 parking lots of any kind within 2 km — roughly 13,150 spaces — 14 of them within 500 m; most are private or customer-only lots. The nearest City EV charger is at 2 Church St. (283 m).

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

King Station (Line 1) is 396 m away; Union Station GO is 640 m away; streetcar routes 503, 504, 508, 509 and 2 more stop within 1 km, the nearest 416 m away; bus routes 121, 19, 97, 114, 202, 75 within 1 km.

What restaurants are near The Esplanade & Scott?

28 restaurants, cafés and takeouts are within 300 m, and 350 within a kilometre, counting the premises Toronto Public Health has inspected since November 2023. The closest are Eloise-Barcart (29 m), The Keg (29 m), Urban Maharajas (42 m), Cafe Nicole (85 m) and Old Spaghetti Factory (112 m). DineSafe does not record cuisine or opening hours.

Is there a public washroom near The Esplanade & Scott?

The nearest is St Lawrence Tent, 125 The Esplanade Street, 396 m away (Mon-Sat Closed, Sun 10:00am-5:00pm). Next nearest: St Lawrence South (474 m); St Lawrence North (510 m).

Is there child care near The Esplanade & Scott?

Eight licensed child care centres within 1 km, with 494 spaces in total; 6 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) (350 m, 40 spaces), Mothercraft Brookfield Place (453 m, 52 spaces) and Pinnacle Jr YMCA (467 m, 44 spaces). Spaces are licensed capacity, not vacancies.

What apartment buildings are near The Esplanade & Scott?

16 RentSafeTO-registered apartment buildings with 1,997 rental units are within 1 km. The nearest are 55 The Esplanade (124 m, 166 units, RentSafeTO score 80), 85 The Esplanade (217 m, 128 units, RentSafeTO score 93), 1 Church St (232 m, 115 units, RentSafeTO score 83) and 110 The Esplanade (329 m, 205 units, RentSafeTO score 96). The average RentSafeTO score across the 16 is 87 out of 100.

How many thefts are reported at The Esplanade & Scott?

Toronto Police place 74 thefts from vehicles and 34 bicycle thefts at this intersection in 2016–2025, plus 4 since January 2026. 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 & Scott in?

The Esplanade & Scott is in St Lawrence-East Bayfront-The Islands (City of Toronto neighbourhood 166). It is in Ward 10, Spadina-Fort York, represented by Councillor Ausma Malik. 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