Ride to Work Day (RTWD) is an international event which sees thousands of riders around the world come together to show just how enjoyable their daily commute is. As part of RTWD and Ride to Work Week, the Motorcycle Industry Association (MCI) organised Commuter City Challenges in six cities around the UK, and the motorcycle proved to be 100 per cent successful. The challenge cities were Birmingham, Brighton, Bristol, Leeds/Bradford, Leicester and Manchester.

The 2014 TomTom Traffic Index reveals that traffic congestion in cities across the UK has significantly worsened in 2013, with average journeys taking 27 per cent longer than they would in free-flowing traffic. The time lost as a result of traffic congestion is estimated to cost the UK economy £2 billion a year, and that figure is set to rise as the Government has forecast four million more drivers on UK roads by 2030.

In light of the worsening situation and to mark Ride to Work Day, the MCI instigated commuting experiments to see how well powered two wheelers (PTW) hold up against other modes of transport. City commuter challenges comprising of a motorcyclist, a car driver, a public transport user, and also a cyclist in the cases of Leeds and Brighton, were carried out in six of the top congested cities in the UK as identified in the recent TomTom report. The routes were chosen to represent genuine commuter routes carried out during peak morning rush hour.

In three of the six challenges, the car took the longest time to reach the destination, frequently being held up in traffic or finding it difficult to park. Public transport was the other mode which arrived last. The cyclists, when included, came in second in both cases, but the riders were both sportsmen who each cover over 10,000 miles a year on their bikes. The real success was the motorcycle which came in first across all six challenges and has the benefit of giving you the freedom to stick to your own timetable. Who wouldn't want to be able to sleep in that little bit longer in the morning?

MCI CEO Steve Kenward said, "We held the City Challenges in order to give us proof of what motorcyclists already know, commuting by motorcycle is the quickest, easiest, and most enjoyable way to travel to work, particularly in highly congested cities. We hope that these statistics will encourage more people to contemplate their commute and give serious consideration to travelling by motorcycle or scooter.

Anyone considering travelling by powered two wheeler (PTW) can get more information from the MCI's Get On scheme. Join in with Ride to Work Day/Week.

 Videos of the six City Challenges can be found on the MCI's YouTube channel