Congestion on British roads has risen in recent years, with the number of delivery vans fulfilling orders placed via safe shopping online partly to blame. And now a new proposal may mean that people who regularly arrange for items to arrive at their place of work may no longer have this option available to them.

The Drum reports on a new scheme outlined by Deputy Mayor of London, Val Shawcross, which argues that deliveries to office buildings located in the capital should be banned outright.

The aim of this would be to reduce traffic in London and also improve the quality of the air by lessening the number of emissions-producing vehicles on the roads.

Shawcross would like employers to take the lead and place restrictions on office deliveries, instead pushing people towards collecting orders from places like public transport hubs, or simply getting them sent directly to their homes.

Critics have pointed out that most people who order items for delivery to their place of work do so because this is the most convenient, or perhaps the only option that fits in with their lifestyle. Plenty of people are not around to take delivery of goods during working hours, so the office-based approach ensures that their order is never sent back to the depot.

Delivering in London is going to get more expensive in the near future with the planned introduction of an ultra low emissions zone with additional charges for diesel-powered vehicles, which applies to the vast majority of vans. So it may be sensible for consumers working in the capital to start adjusting their habits now and finding new ways to pick up their online orders, rather than waiting for a full ban at some point in the future.