Thirty years ago as a broke 20-something law student, James “Jim” Lamz saved gas money by rumbling down streets of New Orleans to Tulane Law School on his motorcycle.

The freedom, the wind, the sights and sounds of the open road had hooked him years earlier as a teenager, he said. Now with depleted bank account, riding his motorcycle was a way of life. Plus, with the student-fueled chaos of parking, a slender, nimble motorcycle provided easy access to and from the congestion.

Three decades later not much has changed. On down days, when the newly re-elected, Slidell City Court Judge isn’t expected to wear a suit and tie to work, he roars to the office in one of his family’s three motorcycles. “It’s fun. Instead of people going home, drinking a glass of wine and kicking their dog, you ride for 30 minutes,” he said with a chuckle. “You focus on the road and safety and you forget about the day’s stress.”

Today is one of Lamz down days. He roared to work on his Kawasaki Nomad as part of the 17th annual Ride to Work Day, a national day promoting “two-wheeled convertibles” as an economical, efficient and socially responsible form of mobility that saves energy and is cleaner for the environment.

Inspired by Fred Rau, a motorcycle magazine editor who wrote an editorial in 1992 promoting the idea, the national day aims to educate the public about motorcycle advantages. And with soaring gas prices, the nonprofit 501-c4 organization sponsoring the event, expects three times the amount of bikers on the road today.

It easy to understand why, Lamz said. Motorcycles average 35 to 50 mpg and scooters average up to 100 mpg, a 66 percent to 300 percent increase in fuel efficiency from the average car, according to www.ridetowork.org who cite U.S. Department of Transportation statistics. Lamz, who owns the Kawasaki and a Triumph said he gets 40 mpg. He recently bought his wife a Honda Rebel, which gets 70 mpg, he said.

Meanwhile a recent British study found that in urban commuting situations, motorcycles shortened travel time by 33 minutes per hour because of their small size and nimbleness. Outside of cities, in less crowded areas, that reduction was 20 minutes per hour. Comparatively, the average American commuter spends just less than an hour each day driving 29 miles, according to U.S. Census figures.

When drivers take “short trips to the store you used to make in the car, commuting a few miles to work, etc. - you’re spreading the two-wheeled gospel and often, depending on the bike, reducing the impact on the environment as well as saving some gas money,” said Mark Tuttle Jr. of www.ridetowork.org of today’s event.

Lamz agreed. And more people like him — professional doctors, lawyers, law enforcement officials and others — are taking notice of benefits. He said several of his city marshals and courthouse employees are riding their motorcycle to work today.

“The image of people who ride motorcycles is changing from the Marlon Brando rebel to a socially responsible, green party professional,” he said.

With that, Lamz left the drug court he presided over Monday and went home to prep his bike.

“Its just such a good stress reliever,” he said.