This coming Monday will mark the 27th anniversary of “Ride to Work Day,” an annual event that promotes the motorcycle as an option for commuting to work. Since 1992, this event has been promoted by the Ride to Work organization with a goal of increasing public awareness of motorcyclists; promoting the use of motorcycles as a method of transportation; and increasing motorcycle safety.
According to the Motorcycle Industry Council, an estimated 150,000 commuters ride their motorcycle to work. While this is a very minor portion of all commuters, figures show these numbers are on the rise. It may be surprising that the numbers are not higher given data that supports that traveling by motorcycle can shorten journey times by as much as 33 minutes of every hour for city travel. Additional benefits can include more parking options, fuel savings and the undeniable advantage of enjoying the environment and the open air preparing yourself for a long day of work, or better yet, decompressing post-work!
The Motorcycle Riders Foundation encourages its members and partners to participate in this year’s event on June 18th to help demonstrate support for riders across the nation and spur recognition that the use of motorcycles as an alternative to commuting can help alleviate traffic and parking congestion.
Another important message that the event sends is that, despite a sometimes less than flattering portrayal of motorcyclists by Hollywood and even the media and naysayers, motorcyclists are our neighbors, teachers, family, lawyers, servicemen and women and friends and they have a rightful place on our nation’s highways.
For more information, visit: http://www.ridetowork.org/
If you have photos of yourself participating in Ride to Work Day, send them tomrfoffice@mrf.org or text them to 202-546-0983
