Trolley Stops In Bay Terrace

Residents of Bay Terrace may be hearing the “clang, clang, clang” of a trolley—and sooner than anyone thought.

A Manhattan-based company brought their motorized street car for a spin around the shopping center on Friday morning. The owners of the center, Cord Meyer had been asked by members of the Bay Terrace Community Alliance to look into a shuttle system for the outdoor mall and its surrounding neighborhood.

When Patch first by BTCA and Cord Meyer, both parties said the project was in its conception stages.

Cord Meyer seemed to be of dual minds about providing transportation to and around their grounds.

"There is plenty of parking in Bay Terrace," a spokesman for the company, . “It could help some seniors come out," he added.

But BTCA Member Phil Konigsberg, who first came up with the idea, is impressed with how things look to be moving forward.

“I was surprised they took an interest so quickly,” he said.

New York Trolley Co. is the second company to have interviewed with Cord Meyer this week, according to Konigsberg. The owner, David Pike, said it would take a few thousand dollars per week of revenue to keep the car circulating.

Cord Meyer is looking into ways to generate income for the service, including fares, and store advertising on the outside of the vehicle. Nobody involved is sure that the project will be financially feasible, and community interest is still being assessed.

Of those polled by Patch, 62 percent said they would use the service. .

Check back with Patch for a look inside the San Francisco style trolley car.