The number of US commuters who ride a bicycle to work rose by 60% over the last decade, the Census has reported.

An estimated 786,000 people biked to work in 2008-12, up from 488,000 people in 2000, the bureau said.

Cyclists account for about 0.6% of all US commuters, compared to 2.9% in England and Wales, a 2013 report found.

The rise comes as a growing number of states and local communities build infrastructure such as bike lanes to promote cycling.

"In recent years, many communities have taken steps to support more transportation options, such as bicycling and walking," Census Bureau sociologist Brian McKenzie wrote in a statement accompanying the report.

The US West had the highest rate of bicycle commuters at 1.1%, and the South the lowest with 0.3%.

The city of Portland, Oregon, registered the highest rate of bicycle commuting with 6.1%,, up from 1.8% in 2000.

Men were found to be more likely to bike to work than women, and the median commute time for bicyclists was found to be 19.3 minutes.

Meanwhile, the study found that 2.8% of commuters walk to work, down from 5.6% in 1980.

The North-East was has the highest rate of commuters who walked to work, at 4.7%.

Boston, Massachusetts, was the top walk-to-work city at 15.1%, while the US South had the lowest regional rate at 1.8%.

人口普查报告显示，美国骑车上班人数在过去十年间增加了60%。

美国国家统计局指出，2008年到2012年，估计有78.6万人骑车上班，而2000年这一数字仅为48.8万。

2013年一份报告表明，美国上班族中有大约0.6%人骑车，英格兰和威尔士有2.9%。

骑车人数的增多是因为越来越多的州和社区建造了像自行车专用车道这样的基础设施来促进骑车。

人口普查局社会学家布莱恩·麦肯齐在报告的声明中写道，“最近几年，许多社区已经采取措施支持更多的交通方式，比如骑车和步行”。

美国西部骑车出行率最高，达1.1%，南部最少，仅有0.3%。

俄勒冈州波特兰市骑自行车上班的比例最高，从2000年的1.8%增加到6.1%。

男人比女人更愿意骑车上班，骑自行车出行平均时间大约为19.3分钟。

同时，研究发现，步行上班人数由1980年的5.6%减少到了2.8%。

美国东北地区步行上班率最高，达4.7%。

马萨诸塞州波士顿步行上班率最高，达15.1%，而美国南部地区最低，为1.8%。

相关推荐：

高考英语阅读理解试题：《邻居大战》挤掉《蜘蛛侠2》 夺票房冠军 

高考双语阅读理解试题：上海乃穷乡僻壤？美剧对中国不乏歧视