A boom in delivery vans carrying items bought online are partly to blame for a massive rise in congestion on London's streets, a new study claims.
Journey times in the centre of the capital have grown by 12 per cent each year from 2012 to 2015 despite car traffic falling, a report by transport information supplier Inrix and commissioned by Uber claimed.
It found there has been an 8 per cent rise in the number of light goods vehicles in the congestion charge zone since 2012 due to the boom in internet shopping.
Inrix also claimed that planned roadworks were "one of the primary causes" of increased congestion due to a 362 per cent jump in their duration over the same period.
But the surge in the number of private hire vehicles (PHVs) in London - led by Uber - has had "a low impact" on traffic, the report added, as only 3 per cent of the total number of registered vehicles in the capital are PHVs or black cabs.
David Leam, infrastructure director of business group London First, urged the newly elected Mayor of London Sadiq Khan to tackle congestion.
He said: "London's roads are increasingly congested, but this isn't down to a boom in car journeys.
"As this report shows, car traffic is actually decreasing in central London, while van traffic and roadworks have risen significantly.
"What's needed is for the new mayor to ease off excessive roadworks, build new river crossings, devise a plan for managing freight and revisit measures to control congestion, including charging."
Figures released earlier this year by the Department for Transport show that traffic on Britain's roads reached its highest ever level in 2015 and congestion is continuing to rise.
Additional reporting by the Press Association.
