Ride To Work Incorporated
Ride To Work Incorporated is a not profit association with the mission to increase the number of commuters who ride motorcycles and scooters to work on a regular basis.
We seek to achive this with three core strategies;
- Organise and promote Ride To Work days in order to encourage motorcycle riders to commute, and demonstrate to our cage bound peers the benefits of increased motorcycle and scooter commuting.
- Work with aligned organisations to lobby government organisations (at Federal, State and Local levels) to improve the rights, environment and safety of motorcycle commuting.
- Work with individuals and motorcycle related organisations to spread the word and encourage motorcycle and scooter commuting.
Come and join the revolution.
Strategy 1 – Organise and promote Ride To Work Days
Ride to work days have a number of positive effects.
Firstly, they encourge riders to get on their motorycles and scooters. The more of that there is, the better it becomes for all of us. As a small minority, motorcycle and scooter riders do not have a voice. As a larger minority, we begin to be taken more seriously, which assists in reducing discrimination, improves the general public’s perspective of us and has positive knock on effects in regard to safety on the roads.
Further, we’d like to think that some who went to the effort of riding on a ride to work day would benefit from the ride and actually enjoy the commute. There’s then a better than even chance that they’d continue that for a day or two more in the same week. That’s a good thing.
Secondly, ride to work days have a positive effect upon the commuting environment. Have you noticed that school holidays specifically and Mondays and Fridays more generally are an easier drive to work. It does not take a significant reduction in the number of motor vehicles on the road to have a signficiant effect on the flow of traffic. Anecdotally, a 10% reduction in cars and trucks on the road can have an extremely positive effect on traffic flows. If a critical mass of motorcyclists were to ride to work on any given day, a significantly positive effect could be seen on traffic flows.
We’re hoping that an organised Ride To Work day would encourage sufficient motorcyclists to ride their bikes or scooter and deliver a benefit for everyone. A positive benefit for all leads to an improved perception of motorcycling commuters.
Strategy 2 – Work with Aligned Organisations to Positively Influence Government
Motorcyclists get a pretty raw deal overall when it comes to our rights as a legitimate road user. The speciifc issues associated with this can be seen on the Key Issues page.
Government decisions, regulations and legislation have make or break our lot as commuters. In order to positively influence the outcome of government decisions we must first be seen as a sufficiently large block of voters and we must effectively lobby government agencies, public servants and politicians at all levels.
The most effective way for an organisation the size of Ride To Work Incorporated to do this is to work with other aligned orgnisations. There are already a number of other associations, councils and collectives that work in focused areas of motorcycle advocacy. Accordingly, Ride To Work Incorporated lends its support to organisations such as the Motorcycle Council of NSW.
We would encourage all motorcyclists to join a club or association (ours or another) and to encourage that club to join the relevant state council. In this way, we become a larger voting block, gaining the attention of politicians, the media and the general public and secondly, we are providing support to the organisations that already have contacts and dialogue with those that can make a difference.
Strategy 3 – Work with Individuals and Motorycle Related Organisations to spread the word
Unfortunately we do not have unlimited resources nor a benevolent billionaire to fund our obviously noble objectives. Spreading the word is predominatly a grass roots strategy.
Through use of press releases to motorcycle friendly media, we seek to get the word out to those that purchase motorcycle magazines or frequent web sites. But there are other ways that you as individuals can assist in spreading the word.
- Download the pass along card and slip under the coffee mug of your nearest motorcyclist who doesn’t commute to work.
- Hang a poster in your workplace.
- Pass on a poster to your workshop, motorcycle mechanic, local accesory shop etc for them to hang up in a public area.
- Ride to work and tell others why you do it.
- Purchase a tee-shirt, sticker or other propoganda to show others.
- Log it in your next motorcycle forum.
- Send us your commuting story to hang on our website.
- We’ll do our best, but your assistance will make the difference.
Ride to work…