MARTIN G. RICHARDS has over forty years of experience in transport planning. He retired as Chairman of The MVA Group, international transport planning consultants, in 2000. He was responsible for the Hong Kong Electronic Road Pricing Pilot Project planning studies, Director of the Department of Transport's London Congestion Charging Research Programme and a member of the ROCOL Working Group that developed the principles on which the London scheme is based, and advised the London Assembly on the scrutiny of the Mayor's congestion charging proposals. He was appointed an OBE in 1993 for services to transport planning.