Niles will discuss Mercer Island light rail at Feb. 3 Rotary meeting

Published 8:30 am Monday, January 26, 2026

John Niles will discuss “Mercer Island’s Pending Light Rail Connection: Positives, Negatives, and Uncertainties” at the Rotary Club of Mercer Island’s meeting on Feb. 3 at the Mercer Island Community and Event Center, 8236 SE 24th St.

The main meeting begins at 12:30 p.m.; socializing is from noon to 12:30 p.m. Guests are always welcome and there is no fee to attend. A catered lunch is available for $25, or attendees can bring their own meal.

Niles, founder and president of Global Telematics, asks in a press release, “Since Sound Transit light rail goes to so many prominent regional destinations, why is its market share of personal trips forecast in 2050 to reach 3% of trips even with the future station count reaching over 80? What might authorities do with incentives and regulations to motivate citizens to ride light rail more often when many personal cars by 2050 are likely to support automated driving on expressways?” Explanations and possibilities will be presented, and questions encouraged.

For more information on the Rotary Club of Mercer Island, visit http://mirotary.org