Almost a third of people think restricting online shopping deliveries would have a negative impact on their life, a survey has found.
Research commissioned by the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT) found that 32% of people believe the quality of their day-to-day life would be affected if goods bought over the internet took longer to arrive.
A spike in van mileage due to online shopping has been blamed for contributing to increasing congestion on the roads.
His deputy, Val Shawcross, has previously suggested companies should consider stopping staff from having goods delivered to their place of work, and encourage them to use collection facilities instead.
Latest Department for Transport figures show van traffic grew more quickly than any other vehicle type in Britain in 2016, rising 4.7% from the previous year.
During the same period, the average delay on England’s A-roads was up 2.8%.
This includes fewer rubbish collections (67%), less frequent bus services (38%) and reduced access to tradesmen (31%).
SMMT chief executive Mike Hawes said commercial vehicles are “the backbone of our economy” and play a “vital role in powering our essential services”.
More than 2,000 British adults were polled for the research, which was published to mark the opening of the Commercial Vehicle Show in Birmingham.
