The American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO), a nonprofit, nonpartisan association representing highway and transportation departments announces new research about the popularity of bicycling.

The American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO) reports on the resulted research of the League of American Bicyclists and the Sierra Club, which highlights the changing bicycle ridership demographics and more positive perceptions of bicycling among women, minorities, and younger generations.

The report, "The New Majority: Pedaling towards Equity," found that 85 percent of the nation's non-white population has a positive view of bicyclists and 71 percent said they thought their community would be a better place to live if bicycling in the area was safer and more comfortable.

In terms of growth, the report claims that bicycle trips taken by African Americans increased 100 percent between 2001 and 2009. Trips by Asian Americans in that same period increased 80 percent, with a 50 percent increase for Hispanics, and about 22 percent for whites. Women were also identified as a growing bicycle group. From 2007 to 2011, the number of women commuting to work by bike increased about 56 percent.

"More Americans are getting on their bikes and communities of color are leading the charge," said Sierra Club Beyond Oil Campaign Director Michael Marx in a statement. "This new face of biking is also the frontier of transportation justice"?uwe must prioritize safe biking infrastructure like bike lanes, protected bike trails, and calm traffic streets in communities that are typically underserved."

The report compiled data from a number of sources, including the Federal Highway Administration, the U.S. Census Bureau, the 2012 American Bicyclist Study, the League of American Bicyclists' Bicycle Friendly America program, Brookings Institution, and others to support its conclusions.

For more information about AASHTO, please visit transportation.org.

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