Cornwall is a Bicycle Friendly Community!

The City of Cornwall received a Silver Bicycle Friendly Community Award in 2021. This recognition, from the Share the Road Cycling Coalition, comes after our community was judged in the five E categories:

• Engineering: physical infrastructure and hardware to support cycling
• Education: Programs that ensure the safety, comfort, and convenience of cyclists and fellow road users
• Encouragement: Incentives, promotions, and opportunities that inspire people and enable them to ride
• Enforcement: Equitable laws and programs that ensure that cyclists and motorists are held accountable
• Evaluation & Planning: Processes that demonstrate a commitment to measuring results and planning for the future

For an interactive map of bike paths in Cornwall, please click here.

For a PDF map of bike paths in Cornwall, please click here.

Summer Bike Rentals - click here for more information!

Cycling in Cornwall

Bicycles are defined as vehicles under the Ontario Highway Traffic Act. As such, cyclists must follow the same traffic laws as motorists.

According to a City bylaw, bicycles with wheels that measure 60 centimetres or less can ride on sidewalks as long as the rider is under the age of 12. The intent of this measure is to allow children to cycle on the sidewalk while they learn to ride. This is a municipal bylaw and rules vary in communities across Ontario.

The Cornwall bylaw states that riding a bicycle with a tire size over 60 centimetres (24 inches) on sidewalks is prohibited. Cyclists over the age of 12 are also prohibited from riding on the sidewalk.

Cyclists are more vulnerable than motorists, and they need to equip themselves to be safe and visible in traffic and on the recreational path.

Safety Tips

• Helmet: Wear a helmet. Helmets are mandatory for cyclists under the age of 18. 
• Lights: Bicycles should have front and rear-facing lights, and should also have reflectors on bicycle wheels.
• Visibility: Cyclists should wear light-coloured clothing.
• Bell: Bicycles should have a working bell.
• Traffic: Cyclists should always ride on the right with traffic. Cyclists should ride 1 metre or 3.2 feet from the curb, and exercise caution when passing parked vehicles or road hazards. On one-way streets, cyclists should follow the flow of traffic.

Share the Path

• Keep right, pass left. Sound your bell or call out when passing.
• Be alert: look and listen. Check behind and ahead of you before moving across the pathway or turning.
• Don't block the path. Please move completely off the pathway when stopping.