LAKE GENEVA, Wis. —Lake Geneva is known for relaxation, but downtown parking woes have stressed out both visitors and city officials. The city may buy two trolley buses to use before WisDOT reconstructs Main Street.
Lake Geneva City Council unanimously approved a motion Monday to consider purchasing two trolley buses from Elkhorn-based Jones Travel for $100,000. The buses would be used to shuttle in visitors to minimize the number of cars on Main Street.
"I went into the room actually preparing for the no," said Downtown Lake Geneva executive director Alex Binanti, who prepared the pitch to city council for the possible trolley bus purchase. "We've been talking about parking for several years in town and trying to find ways to make it easier to come visit us."
Some visitors have completely rearranged their trips to Lake Geneva because of parking issues. Dan and Teresa Pluth attended Winterfest during the weekend last year, but chose to visit during the week this year after bad experiences behind the wheel.
"Parking was an absolute zoo," Teresa Pluth recalled. "There were a lot of people in one very small place."
Kathy Yih has owned the downtown Lake Geneva business Chinawest Jewelers for nearly 50 years. She said some of her repeat customers decide to stay away during certain times.
Watch: Visitors, business owners and city leaders urge trolley to ease Lake Geneva parking
"I'll say, 'Hey, just want to remind you, it's Friday afternoon, it's going to be really busy,'" Yih said. "They say, 'I forgot about that, I'll come Monday morning."
The traffic situation will likely get much worse when WisDOT starts its reconstruction of Main Street, also known as Highway 50, next spring. The work will last until at least late 2028.
"We will temporarily lose a lot of parking that's in short supply anyway," Binanti said. "However, it doesn't have to be all about the negatives of construction. It's a great potential to revitalize downtown."
Yih and the Pluths both support bringing a trolley to town.
"I think the trolley will be good," Yih said. "There's got to be a couple solutions to make this move nicely and I think that's one of them."
"If there are a lot of people in one place, you can have trolleys go by and catch them at this corner or that corner," Pluth said. "It would have been a big help."
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