Rich and Poor Cycle Now. Will Bike Trains Entice the Middle Class next?

Who is using what form of transit?  As it turns out, people who make a lot of money and those who make very little both ride their bikes to work.  However, the vast middle class still tends to commute by car, shop in malls, and watch American Idol.  Okay, part of this is made up.  But not all of it.  #bikesnob A major factor in anyone's  decision to bike or not is the distance the person has to commute.  So what could fix this disparity that leaves most middle income earners stranded in the suburbs?  The new Maryland bicycle train.  A fantastic Christmas present to the land of bad car drivers, good crab cakes, and a weird state flag.  #biketrain  Welcome to Washington, you of the Maryland middle class.  Please leave The Gap, the SUV, and the Starbuck's behind, but bring along your Trek.  Oh, and thanks for the nice bike feature at the Christmas lights show at Watkins Regional Park.  I see a great future for Maryland cyclists being made.  #cyclingpollyanna
http://greatergreaterwashington.org/post/25208/new-info-about-who-rides-a-bike-in-dc-will-let-us-make-the-city-even-greater-for-cyclists/
http://www.bicycling.com/blogs/thehub/new-bike-friendly-train-car-added-dc

On the subject of bike infrastructure for all, a group of cycling advocates in Chicago have mobilized to get a fair share of the bike infrastructure put in African American neighborhoods.  Like a little bird of hope in an otherwise sad month in the history of race relations.  Can't we all just ride a bike?  #chicagocycling #cantwealljustrideabike
http://chi.streetsblog.org/2014/12/19/advocates-request-a-fair-share-of-bike-resources-for-black-communities/

The workers of Capitol Bike Share appear ready to unionize, or so reports Nextcity.org.  The workers voted 41 to 14 in favor of the plan.  Now, as long as they don't strike and leave me marooned somewhere, I guess this could be a Norma Rae with the cardboard sign moment in the history of sharing.  #bikeshare #bikeshareunion
http://nextcity.org/daily/entry/dc-bikeshare-union-vote-capital-bikeshare-alta

Do drivers read the newspaper? Some of them do, even while driving.  If drivers do read the newspaper, they might have read about the death of Kadian Harding, the son of the CEO of City Bikes in Washington, D.C., who was killed while cycling in England.  His father's story appeared in the Washington Post today.  Share it if you can.  Kadian loved cycling and was just a kid.  The practice of dehumanizing of cyclists should take a pause for Kadian.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/magazine/kadian-journal-a-father-tries-to-survive-the-loss-of-his-son-14/2014/12/08/772ced9a-68ee-11e4-a31c-77759fc1eacc_story.html

So if I see you in the bike lane, and you are rich, or poor, or just middle class, and especially if you come from Maryland, let's be smug.  Ho, ho, ho.
Elisa P.