September 27, 2025 - The City of Windsor, Canada’s southernmost city, is on the fast-track to becoming one of the most sought-after cycling destinations in the country.
Located on the south shore of the Detroit River and Lake St. Clair, it’s the sister city of Detroit, a main port of entry between Canada and the United States. Windsor is gaining global attention with the opening of the Gordie Howe International Bridge on the horizon.
Windsor’s Active Transportation Plan 2019 set lofty goals: double the trips made by walking, cycling, and transit from 10% to 20% by 2031, with a longer-term target of 25% of all trips made using sustainable transportation by 2041.
Due to Covid, there was an overall drop as of 2024 from 10.1% to 7.4%, but the transit portion of modal share increased by a substantial 14.7%. Windsor is now considering an Active Transportation Benchmarking Program to better measure the success of their initiatives and make even more data-based decisions.
Since 2019 the city has added over 33km of bikeways, including just over 20km of All Ages and Abilities (AAA) cycling routes that now total 189.5km.
At the end of 2024, Windsor boasted a total cycling network of 380km and plans to add 62km of cycling facilities, most of which will be AAA. Over 72% of residents and 45% of workplaces are located within 400 metres of the AAA bike network.
A key goal is to complete the Regional Cycling Network over the next five years, which will connect Windsor’s regional and neighbourhood centres, as well as provide east-west and north-south connectivity into adjacent cycling networks.
For end-of-trip facilities, the city has added 194 bike racks located downtown and 107 bike racks in city parks.
Windsor’s bike share also launched an e-scooter micro-mobility program in 2021 with an initial 400 e-scooters, followed by the introduction of 75 e-bikes in 2022.
For the opening of the new Gordie Howe International Bridge, the city’s 10.2km Sandwich Town Loop and the 53km Windsor Loop will be promoted by Tourism Windsor Essex Pelee Island, which produces a cycling tourism map and provides online resources.
Other scenic routes in the region, which are part of the Trans Canada Trail and the Great Lakes Waterfront Trail, include the Windsor Riverfront Trail, the Herb Gray Parkway, as well as the Ganatchio Trail and Little River Corridor multi-use trails.
Windsor also recently hosted the 2025 Ontario Bike Summit, Canada’s largest cycling and active transportation conference staged by the Share the Road Cycling Coalition, Ontario’s cycling advocacy and policy organization.
