The Fayette County Chamber of Commerce is inviting local government leaders and the public to a series of public forums to discuss transportation issues.

Those issues could put a damper on future development in the region. The Atlanta area, including Fayette, is under a federal mandate to prove that local governments will clean up air pollution problems before future transportation projects can be approved.

The chamber's transportation and governmental affairs committees have jointly scheduled two public forums to address such challenges. The first is set for Friday, Oct. 16, 7:30 a.m. at Fayette Community Hospital's community meeting room. The second is to be announced.

There is limited space, said chamber spokesman Elissa Hall, and reservations are required. Phone 770-461-9983.

Jeff Rader, vice president of transportation for the Metro Atlanta Chamber of Commerce, will present an overview of the region's transportation challenges, possible solutions and an analysis of public comment received to date from Fayette County. The forum also will provide additional information and give residents a chance to comment for the Metropolitan Atlanta Transportation Initiative.

The MATI board of directors is composed of business representatives from the Atlanta region and from the Atlanta Regional Commission, the Georgia Department of Transportation and the Regional Business Coalition, among other organizations.

Charged with assessing Atlanta's current transportation needs as they relate to congestion, MATI will prepare documentation for the upcoming state legislative session.

"I think that the more we know about our region's challenges, the better our decisions will be when planning for future transportation needs," said Jeff Wallace, Georgia Power Company's vice president of customer service and planning and the chamber's transportation committee chairman.