If you’re on the East Coast, this notice is too late—you’re already at work. But you did ride to work today, right?
Because it’s the 27th Annual Ride to Work Day.
Ride to Work Day pushes the idea that on the third Monday, every June, motorcyclists should ride to work. (Preferably, it should be much more than that, like every day.)
Why? Well, here’s what’s in store for non-riders, for starters:
- The average United States driver travels 29 miles per day and drives a total of 55 minutes per day (an average vehicle speed of 32 mph). —US Department of Transportation, Bureau of Transportation Statistics
- The average roadway delay per auto in 2001 was 26 hours per year, and in 2003 it was 47 hours per year, an increase of 81 percent (for 2015, it's a 42-minute average commute time, and in the DC and LA Metro areas, average roadway delays are more than 80 hours per year). —ABC News Study
Other good reasons to ride include an increased chance of bonding with your coworkers, or maybe that hot barista at your morning coffee stop will realize you’re on two wheels and start paying attention to you. Either way, you’ll be contributing to a smoother traffic flow, free up more parking spots, and have your moment of bliss on the way into work.
Ride to Work is a registered 501(c)(4) nonprofit organization, and the brainchild of Andy Goldfine of Aerostich, who started the event to increase the tolerance for people who ride motorcycles for transportation. Ride to Work offers free artwork and other resources that advocate for motorcyclists. And don't be afraid to tell your non-riding friends that if more of us commuted on bikes, we'd reduce carbon emissions and congestion, and make it easier for everybody to find parking spaces in crowded cities. We all win, right?
You have no excuse; get out there and ride.
