Trolley Tussle: Elmhurst Officials Disagree On Adding Stops

ELMHURST, IL – Elmhurst's mayor and an alderman on Monday differed over whether to expand the local downtown trolley to other parts of town.

For much of the last year, Ward 2 Alderman Jacob Hill has called for stops on the south and north sides. At one point, he described the city's opposition to such an idea as "intransigence."

At Monday's meeting of the Public Affairs and Public Safety Committee, Hill suggested that Berens Park, which is in his northwest ward, be tested as a new stop.

In September, four aldermen, including Hill, asked the city to examine whether the seven stops within a half-hour loop are enough.

The stops are on York Street downtown, Wilder Park and the Spring Road business district.

At the meeting, Hill said his constituents have asked why the city includes no stop on the north side. He said added stops on the north and south sides could drive more traffic downtown, helping businesses there and increasing sales tax income for the city.

Hill, who has said he has often ridden the trolley, said the city should test other stops for limited times.

But Mayor Scott Levin said the trolley should not be considered public transportation. He said the trolley should be seen as a fun way to get around the business districts.

Elmhurst Mayor Scott Levin on Monday questions proposals for more stops on the local trolley route. Kassondra Schref (right), the city's communications manager, seemed to agree. Between them is City Clerk Jackie Haddad-Tamer. (David Giuliani/Patch)

"It's an experience," he said. "Do we expand it to the east and west sides? If it works, where do you stop?"

Hill agreed the trolley was an experience, but said the mayor's statement sounded like a slippery-slope argument.

"I don't think the experience should be denied to other parts of town," he said.

If the trolley works elsewhere, Hill said he would love to be a "victim of its success."

Kassondra Schref, the city's point person on the trolley, said if the trolley goes into areas where people don't see it, that removes some of the program's value.

All the current stops, she said, are surrounded by event-focused business associations.

Hill, who was presiding over the meeting, said the issue would be discussed at a later meeting.

The trolley, which started in 2015, is run during the summer and the holiday season.