Annual Ride to Work Day

The 17th annual Motorcycle and Scooter Ride to Work Day is Wednesday, July 16th. Every year on this day over a million workers commute via motorcycles and scooters to demonstrate the positive benefits of our efficient vehicles.

According to the United States Census Bureau and the Department of Transportation, over eighty million cars and light trucks are used for daily commuting on American roads, and only about 200,000 motorcycles and scooters are a regular part of this mix. On Ride to Work Day the practical side of riding becomes more visible as a much larger number of America’s 8,000,000 cycles are ridden to work.

That is the official blurb. Now for our take.

As fuel prices continue to go up, I am seeing more motorcycles (and scooters) on the road during the normal business-day commute. This is good for a couple of reasons. Of course it saves on fuel and puts a couple dollars back in your pocket. It also helps to cut emissions to the only earth that we have. And just as important to me, is that by putting more motorcycles on the road, it makes a few more people aware of them.

Maybe by helping to promote and getting the word out about this annual event, we can get more bikes on the road. I know I would rather be running through traffic with a bunch of bikes rather than trying to navigate around the 6,000 lb SUVs piloted by cel phone talking, late to work people that I normally see. I actually rode by a young girl last week "driving" through traffic on a busy highway (Hwy 169) that had one foot out the drivers window and was looking down texting with both hands. But that's another story.

If for no other reason, it adds a little enjoyment to a normal day to be able to get in a ride on the way to work and on the way home. So try it, you might like it.

We are currently talking with the Mayor's office and trying to get some city involvement. If all goes well, we will have incentives to ride to work and Tulsa will be the first city in Oklahoma to endorse the National Ride to Work Day.

Remember, motorcycles are not just meant for the weekends.