Daniel McKewen generates electricity on Nathan Ober’s (left) bicycle generator which uses a car alternator and marine battery to create electricity through pedaling.

Commuting to school often means the hassle of battling traffic and finding the rare open parking space.

But those who do so by riding a bicycle said their two-wheeled commute can be an easier, safer, healthier, environmentally-friendly and cheaper option than it is for their four-wheel automobile-driving counterparts.

In order to make this a more popular, and accessible idea, Meredith Joy, of consider biking.org and Austin Kocher, a pharmaceutical sciences student at Ohio State, have teamed up to create Bike OSU – a group focused on making commuter cycling safer and more attainable for Ohio State students.

“(Commuter biking) is such a great alternative, but we need to make it more accessible,” Kocher said. “People need to realize that they don’t have to spend $1,000 on a bike. I even ride an old Schwinn that I found in the trash.”

The idea for Bike OSU was a mutual effort. Joy is the founder of a Columbus-centered online discussion board (www.consider biking.org) for commuter cyclists that she started in May 2007 after realizing how many commuter cyclists there were in Columbus, but no common link drawing them together.

Since May, more than 100 people have registered for the Web site, and it is getting about 1,000 hits per month.

Joy said consider biking.org focuses on creating a community among cyclists, a stress-free environment to ask questions, the capability to post comments and concerns and an attempt to promote safer cycling.

“We want to push commuter cycling, but we also want people safe when they are out on the road.” Joy said.

Bike OSU plans to hold workshops on campus so students will learn proper bike safety. These workshops will be held by Chris Luers of Restoration Bicycle, a repair shop that works closely with consider biking.org.

“Our biggest issue for this year is working on the bike path where campus intersects with Olentangy River Road, by the Ohio State Medical Center. It is the most dangerous part of the path that many cyclists use because it takes you directly downtown,” Kocher said. “We really want the university to be held accountable and make it safer for commuters.”

One of the biggest deciding factors for Kocher is how inexpensive biking is as opposed to having a car at school. “I have canceled my insurance, and don’t even have a car on campus at all right now,” he said.

For information about Bike OSU, contact Austin Kocher at [email protected].

Kelly Cass can be reached at [email protected].