Online shopping enthusiasts, brace yourselves. We're about to share some news that may change the way you shop online forever. And if you're used to turning up to work in the morning, only to be greeted by a huge ASOS parcel sitting on your desk, then we're sorry to say, but this is going to hurt even more.
Much to our dismay, internet shopping vans could potentially be banned from delivering packages to London-based offices, in a bid to cut down congestion in the city. That means no more convenient work delivery services, no more surprise pick-me-up packages from friends and family, and lots more late night trips to the local depot. Great.
Wondering why? Well, Val Shawcross, London's deputy mayor for transport, has delivered a radical plan to MPs that aims to tackle the capital's air pollution crisis, which online shopping apparently contributes to. According to Val, light delivery vans (which are now dominating the roads due to the popularity of online shopping) account for a fifth of traffic in London.
So, her proposal seeks to encourage employers to ban staff from ordering goods to the workplace, which isn't really ideal for us online shopping aficionados. Instead, she wants to push for 'click-and-collect type facilties in public transport modes so that people can collect their deliveries on the way home'.
Our thinking is: if we wanted to pick up our deliveries from a click-and-collect facility, or even get our packages sent straight to our house, then it's likely that we would have done so. But, seeing as long working days result in less time to shop IRL, and a regular 9-5 job means that we won't be home when most courier services will be delivering our parcel, we're finding it rather hard to get on board with Val's plan.
Of course, it's great that the plan could help to reduce London's dire air pollution crisis, which, as mayor Sadiq Khan warned, is at an all-time high, but the possibility of no longer having a Topshop delivery to look forward to during a dull working day is truly painful. Heartbreaking, even. Whatever will we do?
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This article originally appeared on The Debrief.