The fifth annual Australian Ride Your Motorcycle Week returns this year urging riders to get back on their bikes after lockdown.
Last year, the emphasis went from riding your motorcycle to work to simply riding your bike due to the lockdown meaning many people had to work from home.
It appears that is how the initiative will continue at least for this year’s event from November 29 to December 5, instead of the usual dates in September.
However, the official Facebook page still goes by the ungainly title of “Ride Your Motorcycle to Work Week”!
There are already many people riders out and about as lockdowns have lifted recently in several states and more are expected in coming weeks as some inter-state borders open up.
However, we suggest you check each state’s health department websites for details before attempting any border crossings.
For example, riders crossing from NSW to Queensland during Ride Your Motorcycle Week must be fully vaccinated and return a negative COVID 72 hours before the crossing.
Ride your Motorcycle Week will be supported by an advertising campaign reminding riders of the efficiency and ease of riding a bike, as well as promoting riding’s positive impact on mental health.
FCAI Chief Executive and newbie rider Tony Weber says “there’s nothing else like” riding.
Tony Weber“But life gets in the way. Ride Your Motorcycle Week is just a little extra push to get your bike serviced ahead of riding season, take the bike to work or take the long way home, take day the off and reconnect or just go and have an adventure. This is the week to start doing it,” he says.
“COVID has obviously changed the way Australians think about commuting, but the name change is about more than acknowledging working from home. The off-road segment has boomed during the last two years, and this is acknowledged in the campaign’s name change.
The event also aims to draw attention to two-wheeled transport as a potential solution in COVID-19 recovery.
“Riding has a real role to play in helping Australia get back to work, offering socially distanced transportation and alleviating congestion and parking issues. As ever, our secondary goal is to capture the attention of policy makers who to often overlook riding in developing transportation infrastructure,” Tony says.
Stay tuned to the campaign at Australian Ride Your Motorcycle Week or on social media www.facebook.com/rideyourmotorcycleweek.