County Wins Gold Bike Friendly Workplace Award

The County of Essex has been awarded a Gold Bike Friendly Workplace Award in recognition of its efforts to promote cycling as a practical means of transportation and a healthy activity for its employees.

Warden Gary McNamara and Active Transportation Coordinator Katherine Wilson were on hand to accept the award Thursday morning at the annual Gord Smith Awards ceremony organized by the Windsor-Essex County Health Unit and the Working Toward Wellness Workplace Wellness Committee.

Wilson promotes and organizes campaigns for the County Wide Active Transportation System, a program to promote healthy living and build an active transportation network spanning some 800 km that will link all seven of Essex County’s local municipalities. In the summer, the Civic Centre hosted the 6^th Annual CWATS Celebration, a family-friendly event with games and activities that culminated with a leisurely Glow Ride at dusk followed by an outdoor movie.

The County, which has bike racks outside the Civic Centre, previously won Bike Friendly Workplace Awards in 2010, 2011 and 2012. The award is handed out to employers who encourage employees to use their bicycle as a form of active transportation. The award demonstrates an employer’s commitment to employee well-being and overall community health.

Cognizant of the fact many employees live too far from the Civic Centre to cycle to work, Wilson organized a Bike “At” Work Day for employees instead, rallying co-workers to join her on a 30-minute bike ride during the lunch hour.  

The County also distributed 2019 Bikeways and Pathways maps to County of Essex employees and set them out in high profile locations. These maps outlined signature cycling routes, including the Wine Route and the Waterfront Trail, and featured cycling safety tips and a QR code linking users to the Windsor-Essex County Health Unit’s interactive online water tool.