Mayor of London Boris Johnson has announced that free parking offered across 600 Transport for London (TfL) red routes will be extended by ten minutes.
His 'Stop and Shop' initiative is aimed at making busy London high streets more accessible to consumers.
These parking bays currently allow people to stay for 20 minutes while they nip into the nearby shops, but this will be increased to half an hour.
The changes have been made following in-depth consultation with Londoners, businesses and borough councils.
Mr Johnson confirmed 19 of the 22 boroughs affected by the plans supported the idea. Of the three that did not agree with the proposals, TfL has not implemented any changes, although it is still working with the groups to find ways to make shopping districts more accessible.
The idea of the scheme is to help struggling high street retailers attract more trade and organisations such as the Federation of Small Businesses (FSB) have been calling for such measures for some time.
Mr Johnson said he was "thrilled" to be extending free parking provisions in the city.
"Parking is a hot topic for Londoners going about their daily lives, as well as for the capital's businesses and retailers," he commented.
"This will make a huge difference to local businesses and I hope everyone will embrace the new 'Stop and Shop' bays."
Of course, parking attendants will still be on hand to ensure drivers do not take advantage of the offer by staying in a bay for longer than 30 minutes.
The FSB's London chairman Sue Terpilowski welcomed the announcement and said 64 per cent of the organisation's members claimed that parking restrictions had a negative impact on their trade.
She added these "sensible" measures will help high street retailers compete with store owners at out-of-town shopping centres, where parking is generally free.
Work to change the signs at the affected bays has already been completed and TfL has advised Londoners to check the roadside notices to ensure they do not stay in a bay for too long.
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