Cycling

Experience Clarington on a bike. Cycle through our quiet waterfront trails or enjoy a rolling landscape dotted with country farms and apple orchards. Advanced riders can find challenging hills in the Oak Ridges Moraine. We have numerous trails throughout the community to help both residents and visitors enjoy an active lifestyle. The Municipality has partnered with the Region of Durham in developing a transportation network to support a variety of transportation modes.

We have created dedicated bike lanes, where possible, to make our roads more bicycle friendly.

Learn more about cycling on the Cycle Durham website.

Bike routes

Clarington's bike routes help us promote and encourage active transportation. They have defined routes that are more bicycle-friendly. Road width, traffic volumes and speeds, connectivity to other routes and trails, and connectivity to amenities and destinations are all factors in deciding where to build routes. Typically, we choose routes that cyclists already use. Bike routes include bike lanes, shared roadways and separated pathways.

Cycling network

The Municipality's goal is to improve the cycling network to provide a safe and inviting environment. We want to encourage people to switch from driving to biking for short trips close to home, as they commute several times daily or weekly (school, coffee shop, work, small convenience-type shopping). The cycling network is a work in progress and will be refined over time.

View Clarington's bike lanes on our Traffic Information Map.

Public transit and cycling

The Durham Region Cycling Plan acknowledges that people use a combination of transit modes to get around more efficiently. To encourage riders to cycle to public transit, we have installed bike shelters at key GO Transit and Durham Region Transit (DRT) stops across the Municipality.

All GO Transit and DRT buses are equipped with bike racks so that riders can bring their bikes with them.

Bike racks and shelters are located outside the Municipal Administrative Centre (photo left) and Clarington Public Library - Newcastle Branch (photo right) for public use.

No cycling on sidewalks

Sidewalks in the Municipality of Clarington are for pedestrians only. According to the Municipality’s Consolidated Traffic and Parking By-law 2014-059, a bicycle with one wheel greater than 50 centimetres is not allowed on a sidewalk meant for pedestrians. In Clarington, we are working to encourage all forms of active transportation and where possible, we have created dedicated bike lanes for our community to use on the roads. We have signs and pavement markings that separate bike lanes where other cars and vehicles cannot drive, park or stop in those areas.

We know some parents are encouraging their older children to use our sidewalks as they cycle around the neighbourhood. If your child is cycling on the sidewalk, encourage them to get off the bike when passing pedestrians and use the bell. Please respect that our sidewalks and walking paths are primarily for pedestrians. We want to ensure that everyone is safely enjoying our outdoor spaces.

We have a variety of cycling trails for families to enjoy. Take a look at the Other Maps and Cycling Routes section for more resources.

If your child is cycling by themselves, please take a look at the Young Cyclist’s Guide developed by the Ministry of Transportation, which contains some important safety tips.

Cycling safety

Safety is our priority. We encourage you to learn as much as possible about how to cycle safely. Find helpful safety tips and general cycling information at the following links: