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The last 30 years has been a period of phenomenal growth in road transport on the UK: today, 67 per cent of households have access to one or more cars. The same period has witnessed a precipitous decline in public transport, a rapid rise in the real price of both rail and bus fares, and a marked decline in the distance we travel by foot or bicycle. Yet the UK government's road-building programme and other transport policies have provoked outrage throughout the country; and, moreover, new evidence has come to light regarding the impact of benzene emissions from road transport on the incidence of asthma and the possible toll of particulate matter from diesel engines on human health. Blueprint 5 provides a detailed evaluation of the UK transport sector, and argues that without a fundamental change in policy it will inevitably continue to impose increasing costs on the natural environment, human health and the economy. It quantifies the external costs of road transport, and suggests new measures, such as road pricing and financial incentives, to pave the way to a sustainable transport system.