Downtown Elmhurst Traffic Worse? Not Necessarily, Mayor Says

ELMHURST, IL – Elmhurst Mayor Scott Levin said Thursday he often hears that downtown traffic is worse than it used to be.

But he said he doesn't think that's the case.

In 2019, the city performed its last downtown traffic study, and it showed traffic was less there than it was a decade earlier.

Given that the drop was within the margin of error, Levin said, traffic was about the same.

He said many of those saying traffic has increased weren't around at 4 p.m. or 5 p.m. on weekdays in previous years. They were working in downtown Chicago before remote work became more popular during the pandemic, he said.

"There is just a new perception because you're seeing it for the first time," the mayor said.

Levin was speaking about traffic as part of his 2024 State of the City address at Community Bank of Elmhurst.

He told the audience that Elmhurst was phasing in traffic studies for each neighborhood – College View being the first one.

He noted the city has enacted a general policy to eliminate yield signs over time.

"It seemed kind of radical," Levin said. "The idea is that people don't really stop at yield signs. They pull up and may not see that there are pedestrians or children who are trying to cross."