A bicycle rider.
Credit: Nicolaus Czarnecki/METRO
A national cycling organization has named Cambridge and Newton among the most bicycle-friendly communities in the country.
To kick-off national bike to work week, the League of American Bicyclists issued its spring 2013 list on Monday. Cambridge received “gold” status while Newton received “bronze” status.
The group said Cambridge has seen its ridership grow threefold in the past decade and that Harvard University was awarded “silver” university status last moth.
“Cambridge is proud of its reputation as one of the best cities for bicycling in the U.S.,” City Manager Robert Healy said in a statement. “The City has actively invested in making cycling a priority, including establishing the Hubway bike share program and creating an expansive network of bicycle facilities. The popularity of bicycling here can be seen in the exponential growth in cycling, with numbers tripling in the past decade.”
The communities join other Massachusetts communities that have already been named to the list including Boston, Arlington, Somerville and Northampton. There are 259 bicycle friendly communities in the nation, as designated by the organization.
Follow Michael Naughton on Twitter @metrobosmike.
