MONTREAL, July 30 /PRNewswire/ - The Public Bike System Company has received a Bronze International Design Excellence Award (IDEA), transportation category, for the design of the BIXI bike.

The IDEA program has been honouring excellence in the design of products in categories such as transportation, ecodesign, entertainment, household goods, and research since 1980. For the Public Bike System Company and Michel Dallaire, the internationally renowned industrial designer who created the components of the BIXI bike, this was the second such honour. In December 2008, the BIXI prototype captured the Interieurs Ferdie eco-design award in the product design/sustainable development category.

Andre Lavallee, mayor of the Rosemont - La Petite-Patrie borough and vice-chair of the City of Montreal's executive committee, is delighted by this news: "Initiatives like BIXI, involving talented Quebec designers, underscore Montreal's status as a UNESCO City of Design. In developing this unique project, Montreal has again proven itself to be on the frontline of change, committed to promoting active transportation and excellence in architecture and design."

Roger Plamondon, chair of the board of the Public Bike System Company, is also gratified that BIXI has once again received international recognition. "From the very beginning, Design was an extremely important consideration for this project, since we realized the bike would become an integral part of Montreal's urban landscape. The achievement of Michel Dallaire Industrial Design was impressive, and we are proud to receive this new award from such a prestigious competition," declared Plamondon.

ABOUT BIXI

BIXI is the City of Montreal's public bike system. With this service, Montrealers can pick up a bike from one station, travel to their destination, and return the bike to any other station in the network. With the completion of the recently announced Phase II, the system will include 5,000 bikes distributed among 400 stations.

    International Design Excellence Awards
    Visit www.idsa.org/IDEA2009/gallery/

IDEA and IDSA (the Industrial Designers Society of America) foster business and public understanding of the impact of industrial design excellence on the quality of life and the economy. Participants in the IDEA competition include companies, designers, and students from around the world. Entries are judged by twenty world-renowned designers according to eight basic criteria including design innovation, aesthetics, ecological responsibility, and benefits to society and the user.

SOURCE The Public Bike System Company