By JOHN MUNFORD
jmunford@TheCitizenNews.com

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.