THE daily grind of lengthy commutes and time wasted in traffic jams is taking its toll on workers’ free time, bank balances and patience, according to new research.

And that means that many workers are stressed out even before they start work, according to the Motor Cycle Industry Association (MCI), which encouraged Britain’s bikers to abandon their cars and mount up on their two wheelers for the annual Ride to Work Day.

The MCI research reveals that one in six Brits spend the equivalent of an entire working day travelling to and from work in the course of a week, totalling almost two years of solid commuting over an average working life.

If that’s not bad enough, one in ten of us spends more than an hour and a half of that time sitting in traffic jams, which adds up to 135 days spent bumper to bumper over the course of our working lives.

And to top it all, over that same period, a quarter of us spend more than £43,000 for the privilege.

MCI’s Craig Carey-Clinch said: “We wanted to look into the amount of time and money people are spending just getting to work and back on a regular basis and to highlight the benefits of getting on two wheels instead. Motorcycles and scooters are a really good way to avoid traffic, saving time, money and unnecessary stress.

“Only one in ten of the survey’s respondents had a motorcycle license, but more than a fifth said they were jealous of motorcycles and scooters because they get through traffic quicker.

“Sitting in traffic on your daily commute is not only a waste of time and money, but our research shows that it also causes a great deal of stress.”

Ride to Work Day, part of National Motorcycle Week, has been highlighting the social, environmental and economic benefits of two-wheeled powered vehicles since it was first launched in 1999.

This year’s event was scheduled for last Wednesday, July 18, when hundreds of motorcycle and scooter owners across the country headed to work on two wheels.

And to drive the message home, ‘motorcycle squads’ were riding to work through major towns and cities across the country, including Birmingham, London, Edinburgh, Glasgow, Stockton-on-Tees and others, carrying messages on their high visibility vests to encourage their fellow commuters to join the two-wheeled revolution.

The squads were being organised and supported by the Institute of Advanced Motorists (IAM), BikeSafe, BMF, MAG and manufacturers including Piaggio, Honda, Harley-Davidson, Kawasaki, BMW, Suzuki, Triumph and Yamaha.

The motorcycle squads wore wear high visibility vests carrying messages including ‘Stuck in another jam?’...’Fed up of traffic?’...’Wish you had a bike?’...and ‘I’ll be home before you’.