A sharrow is a pavement marking with a bicycle symbol and two white chevrons. Sharrows are used on streets where vehicles and cyclists must share a lane. They indicate the line of travel for cyclists to both drivers and cyclists. When shared lanes are wide enough for cyclists to ride next to vehicles, sharrows are near the curb. When shared lanes are too narrow for cyclists to ride next to vehicles, sharrows are in the centre of the lane.
Trails and Bikeways
The City of Burlington has an extensive system of recreational trails to be used by pedestrians, cyclists, skateboarders, scooters and anyone using an assistive mobility device.
Recreational trails
Explore our city by visiting one of our many trails at the waterfront, parks and linear corridors throughout Burlington.
Linear corridor trails
Linear trails are usually built along utility corridors. They connect points within the city and provide an alternative travel option to driving on roads. Linear corridor trails in Burlington include:
- Palmer Trail
- Elgin Promenade
- Francis Road Trail
- Bronte Creek Trail
- Crosstown Trail
- Centennial Trail
- Maple Trail
Park trails
The following parks have trails that pass through them.
- Kerncliff Park
- Hidden Valley Park
- Lowville Park
- Mountainside Park
- Kerns Park
- Ireland Park
- City View Park
Waterfront trails
These trails run along scenic lakefronts throughout the city.
Trails in the larger region
Some trails that pass through Burlington extend into neighbouring regions and in some cases, well beyond. These trails provide fantastic hiking options and pass through the following areas:
- Bronte Creek Park (multiple trails)
- Bruce Trail
- Conservation Halton (multiple trails)
- Royal Botanical Gardens (multiple trails)
- Waterfront Trail
Trail etiquette
To help everyone enjoy our recreational trails, please follow these rules:
- Clean up after your pet and keep your pet on a leash
- Do not smoke, vape or drink alcohol on or near recreational trails
- Do not use motorized vehicles such as e-bikes (motorized assistive mobility devices are allowed)
- Keep a speed limit of 15 km/hr
- Keep to the right except when passing to avoid collisions and share the trail
- Use lights at night
- Warn others when approaching or passing
- Yield to slower traffic
Community trails strategy
Our Community Trails Strategy Report outlines our long-term vision for a linked trail system throughout Burlington.
The City of Burlington is working to update the Community Trails Strategy. Your input is needed and valued in this important strategy.
The Community Trails Strategy will make trails more accessible for everyone, improve connectivity throughout the city, and support a healthy, active and environmentally conscious lifestyle while protecting Burlington’s greenspace.
Residents are encouraged to visit Get Involved Burlington to find all the ways to provide input into this strategy.
Cycling
The variety of trails throughout Burlington and its neighbouring regions are perfect for cyclists who are either riding recreationally or as a means of travel. Burlington has been deemed a Bicycle-Friendly Community by the Share the Road Cycling Coalition.
Cycling trails and lanes
We are a bike-friendly city because we offer many transportation and leisure trails and lanes for cyclists, including:
- 48 km of bike lanes
- 47.3 km of bike route streets
- 11.7 km of paved shoulders
- 52.5 km of multi-use paths adjacent to the road
- 31.6 km of paved off-road, multi-use paths
Take a look at Burlington google trail maps to find trails and bike paths near you.
Borrow a bike
You can sign out a bike for free from the Burlington Senior's Centre year-round weather permitting. This program is provided by the City and the Burlington Cycling Advisory Committee.
Cycling events
Check out our upcoming cycling events in Burlington.
Improvements to cycling infrastructure
Our Cycling Plan is guiding the future of cycling infrastructure expansion in Burlington. Improvements we have made include:
- Intersection pedestrian signals, way-finding signage, public art benches and new bridges
- Staircases that allow cyclists to easily walk their bike up stairs
- Adding on-road bike lanes
- Widening narrow bike lanes to bring them to a standard of one point three metres to one point five meters
- Coloured lanes to define bike lanes as distinct from other lanes
- Bike route signage and sharrows (road markings) installed on priority streets
Sharrows
These markings serve as a reminder to cyclists and drivers to share the road.
Sharrows Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
What is a sharrow and what does it mean?
Are sharrow lanes for bikes only?
No. Sharrows are used in lanes that are shared by vehicles and cyclists. Sharing the road means drivers should:
- Only pass a cyclist where there is enough room to do so safely (at least one metre between vehicle and cyclist)
- Reduce your speed when passing a cyclist
- Watch for cyclists when making lane changes and turns
Sharrows are either:
- In curb lanes (i.e., beside the curb or parked cars), or
- In the middle of narrow roadway lanes where there is not enough room for a cyclist to travel alongside a vehicle
How are sharrow markings different from a bike lane?
Bike lanes are a dedicated space for cyclists where vehicles are not allowed to park, stop or drive. Bike lanes are painted on the road with bicycle symbols and a solid white line.
Sharrows are used in lanes that are shared by vehicles and cyclists. Lanes with sharrows do not have a separate white line indicating a dedicated cycling lane. Instead, chevrons and a bicycle symbol are used to indicate where cyclists should ride, and where drivers should expect to see cyclists.
Why not just use bike lanes instead of sharrows on city streets?
Bicycle lanes are preferred to sharrows for cycling traffic but not all streets have enough room for bicycle lanes. On streets where bicycle lanes cannot be accomodated, we will use sharrow markings instead.
Bike racks, shelters and repair kits
To improve accessibility for cyclists throughout Burlington, the City along with other businesses and agencies have:
- Added a 33-bicycle rack facility at the downtown parking garage on Locust Street
- Added bike racks and shelters at Tansley Woods, Brant Hills Community Centre and Seniors Centre
- Installed 24 public art bike racks throughout the downtown. We completed this project in partnership with Tourism Burlington and the Burlington Hotel Association.
- Donated cycling repair kits for use free of charge at hotels and two community centres in Burlington. These were donated by Mountain Equipment Co-op
- Offered secure bike racks, shelters, cycling maps and a bike repair kit for emergency use. Any business registered with the Welcome Cyclist Network offers these services
More cycling resources
Check out some more resources for cyclists in Burlington and neighbouring regions:
- Cycling in Halton
- Burlington's Cycling Map
- Clean Air Partnership blog post about our cycling initiatives
Take a look at some video resources for cyclists.
Bike racks on Burlington Transit
Learn more about how to use bike racks on Burlington Transit.
Cycling in Burlington
Learn more about cycling initiatives in Burlington.