Aldermen Seek To End Elmhurst 'Intransigence' On Trolley

ELMHURST, IL – Four Elmhurst aldermen are asking the city to reconsider a local trolley's stops, suggesting the city include other areas of the community.

They want the city to examine whether the existing seven stops within a 30-minute loop are enough.

The aldermen are Jacob Hill and Karen Sienko of Ward 2, Michael Bram of Ward 3 and James Nudera of Ward 5.

Except Nudera, the aldermen represent the north side, which sometimes feels left out of city decisions.

At a city committee meeting in March, Hill said he did not understand the city's "intransigence" to test new trolley stops. He suggested more stops on the city's north and south sides.

In a memo released this week, the four aldermen requested the city look at stops that would allow access to new business districts and popular destinations such as pools and parks.

"This would have the potential to generate more sales revenue for the city in several business districts, as well as potentially reduce traffic," the aldermen said.

They said the city should consider omitting some current stops and adding other ones without affecting the 30-minute loop.

In the alternative, they said, the city could look at adding a second trolley line to serve north Elmhurst and downtown.

"This arrangement would potentially cover much of the city while keeping wait times at expected levels," they said.

The City Council is set to vote Monday on whether to send the request to a committee to investigate.