Warner hasn't spent a penny on gas for commute in 37 years

When Ball State University German professor Ron Warner commutes the four miles round-trip to and from his office on campus, he doesn't use a car. Instead, he hops on his Raleigh 500 two-tone gray commuter bike.

Warner is among a growing number of people who, for various reasons, have parked their cars and opted for a more fuel-efficient, athletic and environmentally friendly mode of transportation - the bicycle.

In the 37 years he's maintained his cycling commute habit, Warner has never missed a class because of sickness, nor has he spent one penny on gasoline on his commute to work.

"If I don't do it every day, I don't feel right," he said.

Warner began jogging in the 1960s but weakening knee joints caused him to switch over to cycling as his primary mode of exercise.

After riding in 1976 Bikecentennial, a 4,000-mile cross-country riding tour, he soon developed a life-long passion for manual two-wheeled transportation.

At 72-years-old, Warner can ride 200 miles in about 14 hours.

"I owe my age primarily to cycling," he said.

According to a Working Well survey released in May, 65.2 percent of Ball State faculty and staff members ride bicycles for recreation and health reasons. Of those who ride, 13 percent pedal their way to work an average of three to five times a week.

Among the primary reasons many other faculty members are opting to ride bikes to work include health benefits and saved money on gas, results Working Well Director Patricia Hollingsworth said weren't all that surprising.

"With the price of gas so high, we wanted to assess the need for community biking and encourage riders to map out safe routes," she said. "From every standpoint - health, environmental and traffic - the benefits of biking are win-win-win."

Hollingsworth said the results of the survey have prompted no push to increase the number of on-campus bike racks because there was not a large enough need to add more of them.

Bike commuters also listed safety and awareness as top concerns when commuting to work.

Several survey respondents suggested designated on-campus and Muncie bike paths and to increase rider safety, secure bike lockers and community bikes for recreational purposes.

Kevin Kenyon, associate vice president of facilities planning and management, said a bike path could not be done on McKinley Avenue because the renovations made the roads too narrow, and paint could not be put on the brick.

Additional bicycle parking comes along with new building construction, but Kenyon said there was no specific schedule for adding bike lanes around campus.

"Bike access has always been an important issue and is becoming more and more important," he said. "If we had the money we'd go full speed ahead on additional improvements around campus."

However, if students and faculty members are looking to bike safely on off-campus trails, Mary Gaston, Muncie Indiana Transit System assistant general manager, said six of its bus routes that drive through campus also intersected with trails along the Cardinal Greenway. All MITS buses come equipped with a bike rack, which is free to all riders April through November, she said.

Cycling in Muncie
Here are a few things you should be aware of if you decide to pick up bicycling in Muncie:

BALL STATE BIKE LOCKERS - Housing and Residence Life offers fully enclosed rental bike lockers as an inexpensive way for students who live on campus to protect their bikes from weather, vandalism or theft. The fee is $40, and students can obtain a locker contract from bsu.edu/housing.

BALL STATE CYCLING CLUB - The Cycling Club is part of the Midwestern Collegiate Cycling Conference, with members competing throughout the Midwest. Go to bsucycling.ning.com for more information about group rides and competitions.

CARDINAL GREENWAY - The Greenway is a walking and cycling path that runs through East Central Indiana. The closest connection from Ball State is the White River Greenway, as it runs along Wheeling Avenue, through Minnetrista Cultural Center and meets Cardinal Greenway.


Source: The Ball State Daily News