The Chronicle of Higher Education reported that: “Western universities dominate the first-ever ranking of bike-friendly institutions by the League of American Bicyclists, with Stanford University taking the only platinum honors and two University of California campuses—at Davis and Santa Barbara—following with gold.”

According to the League, “The program recognizes colleges and universities that create exceptional environments where bicycling can thrive and provides a roadmap and technical assistance to create great campuses for bicycling.”

A news release from the League says Stanford stands out for the breadth of its pro-bike programs, including “a great cycling network, education programs like the Bike Safety Dorm Challenge, and bicycling-incentive programs that resulted in an extraordinary number of people biking for transportation and recreation.” The Leagues adds that “21.7 percent of people at Stanford commute by bike.”

Although the application for the ranking program asks detailed questions—about the local climate, for instance, and how much time an institution’s bike-program manager spends on bike-related issues—questions on a “quick scorecard” give a better sense of what the league takes into consideration: “Does your campus have a comprehensive, connected and well-maintained bicycling network?” “Are there incentives offered for students and staff that commute by bike?” “Is there an institutional plan or program to reduce bicyclist crashes?”

Silver-level institutions were:

California State U. at Long Beach
Colorado State U.
Portland State U.
U. of Arizona at Tempe
U. of California at Irvine
U. of Minnesota-Twin Cities
U. of Oregon
U. of Washington
U. of Wisconsin at Madison

Bronze-level institutions were:

Boise State U.
Cornell U.
Emory U.
Indiana U. at Bloomington
Michigan State U.
U. of California at Los Angeles
U. of Maryland at College Park
U. of North Carolina at Greensboro