The light rail public relations people first said there will be no new Mercer Island parking for the proposed station, then with irritated comments from the audience, said that no decision has been made.

They were honest the first time: there will be no significant new parking. Why? Remember the shock we had four years ago when light rail opened in Seattle. Within a day, it became clear that the purpose of the light rail system is NOT to help citizens park and then ride to work.

Rather, the purpose is to force the population to live in increasingly urbanized, crowded, noisy, paved-over areas near the stations instead of in the less crowded, quieter, greener areas away from the city center.

Everyone who likes the idea of being pushed to live in increasingly crowded urban areas can go ahead and keep voting ‘yes’ to give Sound Transit more billions of our tax dollars. Personally, I will continue to vote no.

Richard Winslow