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Park Ridge among Top 20 Chicago suburbs for public transportation
The city of Park Ridge ranks 13th in a study of "top transit suburbs of metropolitan Chicago." | Jennifer Johnson~Sun-Times Media
Updated: September 3, 2012 6:15AM
PARK RIDGE — The city of Park Ridge has been named one of the “top transit suburbs of metropolitan Chicago” by the Chaddick Institute for Metropolitan Development.
Park Ridge ranked 13 on the Institute’s list of Top 20 suburbs with commuter-rail service. A study conducted by a team from DePaul University considered 45 factors to rank the communities based on their train stations and platforms, station grounds and parking, walkable amenities adjacent to the train station and the “degree of community connectivity to public transportation.”
According to the Chaddick Institute report, the study “evaluates the region’s suburbs on the basis of their attractiveness to those with lifestyles oriented toward the use of public transportation.”
Park Ridge’s Uptown train station, the report states, “sits in a true walker’s paradise setting,” giving users easy access to shopping, dining and the Park Ridge Public Library.
At the same time the report notes the station’s shortfalls, including deferred maintenance and inadequate lighting in parking areas. The fact that very few residents seem to walk or ride bicycles to the Uptown train station resulted in a lower ranking for the city, the report states.
At the top of the Chaddick Institute’s list of top transit suburbs is west suburban LaGrange. The remainder of the list, in order of ranking, includes Wilmette, Arlington Heights, Glenview, Elmhurst, Wheaton, Downers Grove, Naperville, Des Plaines, Mount Prospect, Glen Ellyn, Northbrook, Park Ridge, Westmont, Western Springs, Homewood, Deerfield, Palatine, Highland Park and Tinley Park.
The Chaddick Institute for Metropolitan Development at DePaul University has a mission of advancing principles of effective land use, transportation and community planning, according to the organization’s website.
For more information go to www.toptransitsuburbs.com.
