To

help their employees get to work easier,

Peachtree City industries are teaming up with the

Atlanta Regional Commission and the Partnership

for a Smog-Free Georgia.

Those

groups met Tuesday to discuss commuting

alternatives the industries could help line up

for their employees. One of most favorable

options is a carpool program that matches workers

with similar shifts who live in the same area so

they can ride to work together.

PSG

offers a free carpool match program, but it

depends on the support of local industries so

workers can be asked to enroll. Once signed up,

each worker's information is entered in a

computer database, which helps match up potential

carpooling buddies.

Another

component that could be added to the carpooling

match service is a program that guarantees a free

ride to employees who must respond to emergency

situations and leave in the middle of their

shifts.

It

was also suggested that industries become more

flexible for employees who carpool by making sure

they don't have to stay late.

The

ARC will use a consultant to perform an analysis

of traffic at the industrial park.

Bill

Minter of the ARC's Commute Connections program

asked the industry leaders at the meeting what

their major problems were. After listening, he

said he felt the carpool initiative was the way

to start, but later the industries could band

together to provide a van transportation program

or form a transportation management authority if

necessary.

Many

such TMAs subsidize van pools for workers, Minter

said. Some fund other methods of public

transportation, such as MARTA.

One

problem to such an effort is that right now,

little public transportation exists in Peachtree

City, Minter added.

Phoenix

Star Transportation offers a van shuttle to the

airport for Delta employees, but only 60 who live

in Peachtree City take advantage of it, said

Phoenix Star owner Stuart Hoff.

Another

of the problems facing commuters headed to

Peachtree City to work in the industrial park is

the traffic that piles up on Ga. Highway 54

toward Coweta County, the industry leaders said.