Seventeen new campuses made it onto the League of American Bicyclists’ bike-friendly universities, which now includes 75 colleges in 32 states and Washington, D.C.
Moving up the rankings from a gold designation to platinum is the University of California-Davis. The City of Davis became a platinum-level bike friendly community in 2005.
“With a bike mode share approaching 50 percent, upwards of 20,000 bikes on campus during peak use days, and ever-improving infrastructure and safety programs, we hope to continue to serve as a model for other colleges and universities working to increase the beneficial use of bikes for daily transportation," said David Takemoto-Weerts, bicycle program coordinator at UC Davis.
Among the other honorees were the University of Montana (gold), University of Louisville (silver) and Georgetown University (bronze).
Bowdoin College, awarded a silver-level designation, has a growing bike sharing program.
"As our Bicycle Friendly University program grows, the promise for a more Bicycle Friendly America does, too," said Andy Clarke, president of the League of American Bicyclists. "Colleges and universities propel our leaders of the future, and more and more of those students are choosing bicycles as their transportation option of choice. We commend universities like Bowdoin College; University of California, Davis; and the University of Montana, who are leading the way to a healthier, more sustainable future."