Western Springs Listed in Top 20 ‘Transit Suburbs of Metro Chicago’

The Village of Western Springs scored 15^th among Chicago suburbs in a recent report on the “Top Transit Suburbs of Metropolitan Chicago,” placing highly for its station building, platform and community connectivity, but getting knocked for lack of local bus service and downtown amenities.

According the report, prepared by DePaul University’s Chaddick Institute for Metropolitan Development, the Village’s Metra location “has a superb station building with a nicely-adorned and spacious waiting room.”

Western Springs was also ranked highest among “communities with similar development patterns” for number of residents walking or biking to the station, and the area was praised for cheap parking and good bike storage.

However, the report also notes that public transportation users “have little local bus service… and comparatively fewer places to walk [to] than most other communities.”

The big winner in the study was Western Springs’ eastern neighbor La Grange, who (!) in the study. Citing the vibrant La Grange downtown, the multiple stations (including Stone Avenue) and the bus service (apparently far superior to Western Springs’), the report calls La Grange “a dynamic public transportation culture that brings the entire community to life during rush hour.”

The praise for Western Springs’ station and platforms actually comes as said platforms are due to receive an overhaul under the new downtown redevelopment plan.