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AstraZeneca car pooling sets standard
February 19, 2004
Sean O'Sullivan
Wilmington News Journal

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Director's Note: Improving transit service along the Route 41 corridor could alleviate congestion and improve air quality.

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AstraZeneca PLC has gotten at least 1,000 cars off New Castle County roads during peak travel hours in a program transportation experts said could be a model for the nation.

Company officials said this week that AstraZeneca has met a requirement to get at least 15 percent of its nearly 4,000 employees at the Fairfax headquarters to carpool, telecommute or commute to work during off-peak hours.

The agreement between AstraZeneca, New Castle County and the state, signed in 2000, allowed AstraZeneca to build its headquarters larger than traffic laws permitted.

The pharmaceutical giant was required to post a $500,000 bond the state could cash if officials determined AstraZeneca acted in bad faith.

National experts said the program is innovative and could be a model for reducing traffic congestion.

"I haven't heard of a business doing an alternative commute incentive on such a large level with such high stakes," said Noah Budnick, project director for the New York-based advocacy group Transportation Alternatives.

Melissa Waage of the U.S. Public Interest Research Group, an environmental and consumer protection organization, praised the program for its focus on getting employees to and from work efficiently, rather than building new roads. "Overall, we think it is a great strategy," she said.

Greg Raysor, 48, of Fort Washington, Pa., said he cut the wear and tear on his car by half when he joined a car pool. "I went from 33,000 miles a year to 16,000 miles a year," he said.

The car pool also forces him to get out of work on time. "My wife appreciates that," he said.

Mark Hoffman, 45, who takes a company shuttle bus to the Paoli, Pa., area, uses his time on the bus to catch up on work. On Tuesday, he was working on a laptop computer during his ride home. Others said they appreciated being free of the stress of driving and enjoyed the camaraderie.

"We talk, chat and joke around," said Khan Bilal, 39, of Burlington, N.J.

AstraZeneca said at least 70 employees car pool, 66 use a company shuttle bus that takes them to park-and-ride locations in Pennsylvania, 44 ride DART First State buses, and 11 use a ride-share van provided by the state. Also, 713 employees arrive at work either before 7:15 a.m. or after 8:45 a.m. and more than 100 employees work from home.

In addition, up to 1,330 employees work a "compressed workweek," meaning they work extra hours during the week and shorter hours on Friday so they are off the roads during peak hours.

Roger P. Roy, executive director of the state Transportation Management Association, said the official report on AstraZeneca's efforts by an independent auditor comes out next week. "But we do know they went over the goal," Roy said. "This is going to quiet a lot of naysayers."

Roy is also a Republican state legislator from Limestone Hills.

Traffic near AstraZeneca's Fairfax headquarters at Concord Pike and Del. 141 has not significantly increased over the past two years, although more than 1.6 million square feet of office space has opened, accommodating nearly 2,000 new employees, Bob King of the Delaware Department of Transportation said.

Charles Baker, chairman of New Castle County's Department of Land Use, said other companies, including DuPont and Christiana Care, have signed similar traffic-mitigation agreements with the county, but AstraZeneca is the first to get this far.

The agreement with AstraZeneca was drafted as part of the effort to bring the company to the state.

New Castle County Councilman Robert S. Weiner helped draft the agreement. He said a company that makes an effort to meet the requirements but fails is not punished. The agreement allows the company to try different strategies to reach the goal. Companies that do not make an attempt to reduce traffic can be fined.

THE NUMBERS

AstraZeneca Employees

• 70 car pool
• 66 use a company shuttle bus to Pennsylvania
• 44 ride DART First State buses
• 11 use a ride-share van provided by the state
• 713 arrive at work either before 7:15 a.m. or after 8:45 a.m.
• 100+ work from home

Up to 1,330 work extra hours during the week and shorter hours on Friday so they are off the roads during peak hours

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EDITORIAL: OUR VIEW

AstraZeneca shows one company can cut traffic congestion
02/20/2004

Delaware's other corporate employers should take a lesson from AstraZeneca's extraordinary traffic mitigation effort.

When AstraZeneca sought approval to enlarge its headquarters site at Concord Pike and Del. 141, there was considerable community opposition. The company's request for additional space went beyond what traffic impact regulations allowed.

Instead of trying to change the rules, AstraZeneca, New Castle County and state officials crafted a traffic reduction strategy that called for at least 15 percent of the company's 4,000 employees to use carpools, telecommuting and public transit, or to travel to and from work in off-peak hours.

The official audit of the program will be made public next week, but AstraZeneca has far exceeded its goal. The early count suggests that about 50 percent of its employees are using the alternatives rather than single-occupant automobiles.

The company and its employees should be honored for this accomplishment. The county's other major employers that signed similar agreements but still are not in compliance should call AstraZeneca and find out how it's done.