With petrol prices and train fares rising, and the constant threat of tube strikes, riding a motorbike or scooter to work has never looked like a better option.
So on June 20th 2011, every motorcyclist in Britain should be out on two wheels, showing what makes it such a great way to commute:
- Save money. With road tax starting at £16 a year and a CBT costing little more than £100, riders can save thousands of pounds a year.
- Go to the Travel Savings Calculator to find out what you could save
- Save time. Recent Transport for London research shows a motorcycle can save a third of the time a car takes to do the same route.
- Save fuel and emissions. Smaller machines do over 100 mpg, and they don’t sit in jams pumping out fumes without moving.
- Save hassle. Parking is easy and usually free, and you can come and go when you want.
- Arrive with a smile on your face. How many other commuters enjoy their daily trip to work?
Planned activities will be featured on the new website. Celebrities will be showing the way by riding to work themselves, and dealers will be running their own events including early openings and refreshments for commuting bikers.
But the most important part of the day is the people who’ll be riding to work. They can show they’re part of the Day by signing up on Facebook or following us on Twitter and telling us all what they’ll be riding, where they’ll ride - and how much time and money they reckon they’ve saved by being on two wheels.
We want to see photos of the motorbike or scooter that gets them to work every day, and hear their views in our riders’ polls on Facebook. We want riders to give a non-riding friend or work colleague a lift to work too, but only if they feel competent to do so. It’s also a chance to encourage mates who only use their bikes for leisure riding to try commuting for a change.
The Motorcycle Industry’s Get On campaign will also be using the day to encourage new riders to make motorcycling part of their daily routine, and to show non-riders what they’re missing. Anyone can try riding for nothing by signing up at at the website for a free taster session with a qualified trainer on a safe site away from public roads. With all safety gear provided, and a friendly instructor to explain the next steps from CBT to Direct Access, it’s a perfect introduction to motorcycling.
As well as showing the benefits of riding to the individual commuter, the MCI will be using Ride to Work Day to demonstrate how much better everybody’s lives would be if more people rode to work more often. Steve Kenward, MCI CEO said “More motorcycles on the road would benefit everyone, with less congestion, less pollution and less crowding on public transport. The more riders who sign up and take part in Ride to Work Day, the more we get the message across, about the benefits of commuting by motorcycle or scooter. This makes the case all the stronger for motorcycling as a central part of the transport mix.”
Ride to Work on June 20th will also see the official launch of two new MCI initiatives, the Case for Motorcycling, which informs the public, policymakers and the media of the many and varied positives of riding motorcycles and scooters in the UK. And the launch of the new eMCI to represent and protect the interests of the new alternative fuel source manufacturers and retailers in the UK. Associated to the MCI, the eMCI will have its own dedicated management team and will develop its own mission, goals, strategies and policies and will have a new website.
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