Delivery time changes 'could reduce London congestion'

TfL says that the value of goods moved on London’s roads each year is more than the GDP of Hong Kong

The time of business deliveries in London could be changed in order to ease congestion, Transport for London (TfL) has suggested.

Retiming deliveries outside the peak hours of 07:00 and 13:00 could reduce journey times and lower exhaust emissions, it said.

Freight industry representatives and businesses are meeting TfL bosses to discuss what changes could be made.

Annually, up to £200bn of goods are moved on London's roads.

Population growth and changes to the road network, such as the expansion of the Cycle Superhighway, are expected to cause more disruption to the capital's roads in the future.

London's Transport Commissioner Sir Peter Hendy said the need for businesses to adapt has "never been more pressing".

"We must build on all the work we did together during the London 2012 Games to make further progress on retiming outside the busiest times, rerouting and consolidating deliveries," he said.