Ride to Work Day is June 18th

Not to be confused with bike to work day for cyclists, which happens May 10th this year, Ride to Work Day happens every third Monday in June. The event started in 1992 to encourage the use of motorcycles as transportation. For those who don't already ride to work every day it's a good excuse to dust off the motorcycle and take it to work. Riding a motorcycle (or bicycle, if you live close enough) eases traffic and parking congestion, saves time and gas, and raises public awareness of motorcycling. Additionally, in many places it's legal for motorcycles to use the HOV (carpool) lane, and in California "lane-sharing" (sharing a lane with a car, i.e. going between cars) is permitted* if done safely and cautiously. That can add up to a lot of time savings in congested urban areas.



As someone who got around exclusively by motorcycle for 8 years, the idea of not riding to work sometimes seems refreshing and novel. The only days I don't ride to work are the occasional days when I pedal to public transit. I like cycling but riding a bicycle to work involves the rare coincidence of a ton of spare time and lack of interest in fighting traffic for 60 miles. The latter happens frequently, the former almost never. So, since almost every day is Ride to Work Day for me I often forget when the official day arrives. But I do endorse the message. Ride to work!

In addition to the information on the Ride to Work site there is also a lot of cool Ride to Work merchandise on the Aerostich site.

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* The subtle linguistic difference between "permitted" and "legal" is the subject of endless debate in motorcycle forums.