As Mayor Dave Cieslewicz continues to look into the possibility of installing trolleys in Madison, one of his opponents in the spring mayoral election continues to express frustration with the idea.

With more than 100,000 additional cars expected to hit Dane County roads within the next 10 years, Cieslewicz said someone needs to come up with a “comprehensive plan” to combat future traffic issues.

Part of his plan, Cieslewicz said, is integrating trolleys into Madison’s transportation system — an idea the mayor said is only in its preliminary stages.

“What’s key here is no decisions have been made, and we haven’t spent any money on a [trolley] system yet,” Cieslewicz said in an interview with The Badger Herald Monday. “We started a study committee to develop a proposal — what a system might look like, where it would go initially and who would pay for it.”

However, mayoral candidate Ray Allen, who will face of against Cieslewicz and two others in a Feb. 20 primary, said the answer to the looming traffic problem on the isthmus is to better utilize the current bus system.

Bus routes are flexible and can change with fluctuating demands, Allen said, whereas a trolley system is restricted to the tracks.

Allen added that a trolley system would be expensive, costing between $15 million and $25 million per mile. Ultimately, Allen said, trolleys in Madison would be “cost prohibitive.”

“The trolleys are not going to solve the transportation problems in Madison,” Allen said in an interview. “We cannot support the current transit systems we have now without subsidy.”

An alternate solution to the trolley system, Allen said, is an increase in the number of “park and rides” to create “hub points.” Creating a system of roads to allow truck traffic to bypass the downtown area would be another realistic idea, he added.

Mike Flaherty, a spokesperson for Cieslewicz’s campaign, said contrary to popular belief, a trolley system would actually promote economic development because it is both cleaner and faster than the current bus system.

Around the University of Wisconsin campus, Flaherty said trolleys would be a perfect solution — in terms of both cost and convenience — to the parking problem for students and university employees.

“I think the bottom line here is [Cieslewicz] is trying to creatively deal with an extraordinary urban problem, especially in a city defined by an isthmus,” Flaherty said. “The opposition hasn’t even offered a hint of a solution on how they are going to deal with 100,000 more cars. If they think pavement is cheaper, they are mistaken.”

However, Allen, calling trolleys a “misplaced priority,” said taxpayer dollars should be focused on “bigger” issues like public safety and affordable housing.

“The cost to build the trolleys is high and … the Madison taxpayers will have to pay the tab,” Allen said.

In his time as mayor, however, Cieslewicz said he has focused extensively on other issues like increasing the Madison Police Department, economic development, campus safety and the Allied Drive project.

Traffic and congestion in the next 20 years is a real issue, Cieslewicz added, and studies like the trolley system — in addition to Transport 2020 and examining the future of Madison Metro — will help solve these problems.

“I think my opponents are sort of obsessed with this issue, and the truth is, if you look back, we’ve dealt with a variety of other issues,” Cieslewicz said. “I think it’s important to give new ideas a chance, but it’s also a good idea to keep them in perspective.”