City of Mississauga and Local Teacher Honoured with Cycling Awards

Mississauga’s vision of incorporating cycling into the fabric of the City was recognized today in City Council with the presentation of two cycling related awards:

• The Bicycle Friendly Community Award – Bronze Designation was awarded to the City of Mississauga; and
• Community member George Douzenis was presented with the 2011 Phil Green Recognition Award.

The City was presented with the Bicycle Friendly Community Award – Bronze Designation by the Share the Road Cycling Coalition for the City’s active support of cycling. Mississauga was recognized for its progressive response to the growing desire of its residents to choose the bicycle as a mode of transportation or recreation.

“We are so honoured to receive this award - it is a clear signal that we are making progress,” said Jacquelyn Hayward Gulati, manager of the Cycling Office. “The benefits of cycling are endless, and we are committed to making it a way of life in Mississauga.”

Since the approval of the Cycling Master Plan last year, the City has completed the construction of secure bike parking rooms at City facilities and constructed over 20 kilometres of new cycling routes. In addition, Mississauga has implemented innovative cycling safety pilot projects, installed new way-finding signage, and hosted several cycling events.

George Douzenis, Mississauga resident and teacher at Glenforest Secondary School, received the 2011 Phil Green Recognition Award from the Mississauga Cycling Advisory Committee (MCAC) for his strong advocacy for cycling in the community. Douzenis has been a pioneer in raising cycling awareness and was instrumental in creating a school-wide cycling culture by encouraging students to participate in Smart Commute Mississauga’s Bike to Work Day.

“Mr. Douzenis is a role model and cycling ambassador for his students, colleagues and community members,” said Jeff Wachman, chair of the MCAC. “Advocates like George inspire future generations of cyclists and enhance the efforts of our committee.”

About the Bicycle Friendly Community Award
The Bicycle Friendly Community Award is presented annually by the Share the Road Cycling Coalition to communities that actively support bicycling. Municipalities are judged for the award in five categories: engineering, education, encouragement, enforcement, and evaluation & planning. A community must demonstrate achievements in each of the five categories in order to be considered for an award.

About the Phil Green Recognition Award
The Phil Green Recognition Award is presented annually by the Mississauga Cycling Advisory Committee to a person or persons who have demonstrated exemplary effort to the cause of promoting or furthering cycling or other forms of sustainable transportation in the City of Mississauga over the preceding year.

As Canada's sixth largest city, Mississauga is home to 738,000 residents and 55,000 businesses, including 63 Fortune 500 companies with Canadian head offices or major divisional head offices. A diverse, progressive and award-winning municipality located on the shores of Lake Ontario in the heart of the Greater Toronto Area, Mississauga is "Leading Today for Tomorrow" by focussing on delivering services, implementing its Strategic Plan, delivering value for money and maintaining infrastructure.



Media Contact:
Vivian Peets
Public Affairs Intern
City of Mississauga
905-615-3200 ext. 5821
vivian.peets@mississauga.ca