2020 Ride to Work Day Set for Monday, June 15: ‘Largest Ever’

2020 Ride to Work Day Set for Monday, June 15: 'Largest Ever'

Back in the May 1992 edition of Road Rider magazine (now Motorcycle Consumer News), a “Ride to Work” editorial read:

“You may remember several months ago when Bob Carpenter, commenting in his ‘Two Up’ column, mentioned how neat he thought it would be if there was one day a year when everyone who owned a motorcycle used it to ride to work. That comment was prompted by a T-shirt produced by Aerostich RiderWear that simply said, ‘Work To Ride, Ride To Work.’ Everyone seemed to think that a national ‘Ride To Work’ day was one heck of a good idea.”

2020 Ride to Work Day Set for Monday, June 15: 'Largest Ever'

The first official Ride to Work Day occurred July 22, 1992, and the movement continues for its 29th year this Monday, June 15.

Although the world is impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic, the non-profit organization expects this year’s event to be the largest ever.

Some estimates put the number of riders on Monday over a million of the more than 8 million motorcyclists and scooter riders across America.

Across equal distances, commuting riders can reach their destinations more quickly – in up to 20% less time than those using automobiles in some situations — and motorcycles and scooters consume less resources per person per mile, and they take up less space on roads and in parking areas.

“Many people do not always appreciate the societally positive value of transportational riding, and some don’t know there are also a few hidden deleterious ramifications from having almost everyone default to private autos. Cars are wonderful machines, and we love them, but the reasons to ride, when one can, go beyond stuff like energy or carbon footprints” says Andy Goldfine, an event organizer.

This Day is about more than traffic congestion, motorcycles, and economics. Winston Churchill famously said: “We shape our buildings; thereafter they shape us.”

Other thought-leaders have presented or expressed the same idea in different ways. It applies to things beyond our homes and buildings. It’s about all technologies, including our mobility tools.

Ride to Work says that’s why riding and the annual Ride To Work Day event is important. This Day is not narrowly about encouraging the wider adoption of transportational riding; it’s about increasing the understanding of – and tolerance for – those who choose this form of mobility, and about providing support and encouragement to those who like to ride in transportation-centric ways.

Ride to Work is a 501 c4 nonprofit, all-volunteer effort. Organizers include Andy Goldfine, Lynn Wisneski, and Christine Holt.