Local resident and safety organization win City cycling awards

[guest]

Councillor Keith Egli, Chair of the City of Ottawa’s Transportation Committee, presented the Bruce Timmermans Awards to one resident and one organization during the Transportation Committee meeting this morning at City Hall.

Gareth Davies was the recipient of the individual award. He became President of Citizens for Safe Cycling in 2015 and is a strong advocate for safe and efficient bike infrastructure. He has become the voice of cyclists in Ottawa. He takes a positive approach to find solutions to problems and builds bridges between partners to ensure many voices are heard before making a recommendation.

Julie Vogt, Chief Executive Officer of the Ottawa Safety Council, and Kelly Banks, Program Manager of the Ottawa Safety Council, accepted the organizational award. The Ottawa Safety Council is a non-profit organization that advocates for and delivers risk reduction and injury prevention programs. Last year, their Bike Rodeo Program provided more than 2,000 young cyclists across Ottawa with the chance to learn safe riding skills and rules of the road through fun activities and demonstrations. The Bike Rodeo Program helps children from junior kindergarten to Grade 4 learn about various elements of safe and responsible cycling.

The Bruce Timmermans Awards have been presented every year since 1999 to recognize outstanding contributions in Ottawa’s cycling community. The awards are named after long-time cycling educator and advocate, Bruce Timmermans. He was an active member of the Ottawa Bicycle Club, a founding member of Citizens for Safe Cycling, and worked to promote cycling and safety for cyclists.

The awards this year were presented as part of Bike to Work Month. Each year during May, the City of Ottawa promotes cycling as a fun and healthy part of the daily commute to and from work. It’s one of many initiatives by the City to increase the cycling modal share from three per cent to five per cent of morning peak period trips and to have cycling account for eight per cent of all trips in the downtown.

Quotes

“Our community partners play an important role in helping us reach our goals to increase the number of people who cycle in Ottawa. The work they do on behalf of both the City and its residents is vital to our success, whether it’s teaching important skills to young riders or helping us solve problems that make cycling practical and enjoyable for all.”

Mayor Jim Watson, City of Ottawa

“The legacy of Bruce Timmernans lives on through these awards. We continue to share the same values he always did, of creating a safe environment for cyclists to ride for work or leisure, fitness or fun.”

Councillor Keith Egli, Chair, Transportation Committee

Quick Facts:

• Each year, the City of Ottawa presents two awards to recognize outstanding contributions in Ottawa’s cycling community.
• The awards have been presented annually since 1999.
• The City of Ottawa has been recognized as a Bicycle Friendly Community by the Share the Road Ontario organization, which awarded Ottawa a "Silver" status in 2011, followed by "Gold" status in 2013 – Ottawa is one of only two cities in Ontario with this designation.
• The City has worked on improving the cycling environment, which has resulted in additional bike trips of all kinds in Ottawa, with the cycling modal share growing by 40 per cent city-wide between 2006 and 2011, according to the Origin-Destination Survey.
• The 2013 Transportation Master Plan (TMP) sets a goal of increasing the cycling modal share from three per cent to five per cent of morning peak period trips.
• The TMP also seeks to have cycling account for eight per cent of all trips inside the Greenbelt by 2031.
• The 2013 Ottawa Cycling Plan (OCP) provides a framework within which the City of Ottawa can further develop its cycling network and promote cycling as a sustainable mode of transportation.

Website

Bruce Timmermans Awards

Bike to Work Month

查看原文...