The annual Ride Your Motorcycle To Work Week is coming up! It’s the 3rd year this great initiative is running and this year it will take place between 7th and 11th of October. But with so many of us already riding to work every day and every week, why is it so important that we all get behind this event?

What is it all about?

According to the official event website the initiative is “…a chance to bring some fun to your daily commute and reclaim the work day, while sharing the passion for riding…”. The aim is to “…ride together and draw attention to rider safety, while making sure our bikes are ready for the summer riding season…”.

The initiative is supported by Australia’s motorcycle importers, with the backing of the Federal Chamber of Automotive Industries (FCAI). A selection of motorcycle dealerships around Australia will offer riders a free Ride-Thru 10-point safety inspection of their bikes to make sure they are safe and road ready.

Toby Price, two time Dakar Rally winner, has been chosen once again as an ambassador for the event.

But I already ride to work every day!

For many of us, every week is “ride your motorcycle to work week…”. Indeed I have seen some negative and sarcastic comments about this in forums and on social media. So here is my view:

This event is not about each one of us as an individual rider. This is about us as a community, as a family of riders. One of the aims of this event is to raise awareness of rider safety and motorbike riding in general.

It is true the initiative should be promoted more heavily to ensure it reaches the wider, non-riding community. TV/radio ads, roadside billboards, group rides, rallies and other events should be organised to extend the outreach. However, this is only the 3rd year and I’m sure it will develop into a larger scale event.

There are so many issues us riders are concerned about and this is one opportunity to draw attention to some of them. Messages about lane filtering (it’s legal! It’s safer for us!), about leaving a gap to let us through, about motorbike parking, safety barriers, slippery road painting/marking, reducing tolls for bikes and taxes on safety gear to name a few. And of course look out for motorcycles!

So if you don’t usually ride your bike to work please try to do so during Ride to Work Week. And if you do ride every day please continue to do so, especially during that week. Spread the word, share the information. Let’s help raise awareness and get our messages across.

Be safe. Enjoy the ride.