On May 14, 2014 Citizens for Safe Cycling received the Mayor’s City Builder Award for 30 years of cycling advocacy in Ottawa, Canada’s capital. Citizens for Safe Cycling started promoting safer road conditions in 1984 and has played a leading role in advocating cycling for everyone.
The mayor praised the role of Citizens for Safe Cycling in building a cycling culture.
Left to right in photo: Alex DeVries, Kathleen Wilker, Risa Sargent, Councillor Keith Egli, Hans Moor, Mayor Jim Watson, Isabel Jenish, Nico and Schuyler Playford.
President Hans Moor of Citizens for Safe Cycling to council: “The award signifies our contribution towards creating a better Ottawa. It also signifies the importance of the growing presence of cyclists in the city”. He continued with: “We thank you for recognising our achievements and promise to keep raising the bar for future improvements to our city, because we must stay vigilant”.
He noticed that an established engineering company recently complained about the fact that “everyone wants to have their own space nowadays” and asked the city not to tolerate such a mindset. Moor added that Citizens for Safe Cycling believes in a cooperative model which motivates cyclists, councillors and city staff.
Coincidentally, just yesterday the Laurier Bike Lane, which runs through downtown Ottawa, counted its 1 millionth bike ride since July 2011.