In Central London, traffic fell by 19 per cent between 2000 and 2009

Years of falling traffic volumes suggest that car use has passed its peak and may have entered a long era of decline, a growing body of officials from the Department for Transport and London’s City Hall believe.

The implications for how cities are designed and streets are used are enormous if car use really has passed its tipping point. Supporters of “Peak-Car” theory see a future in which the inner cities are given over to pedestrians, cyclists and public transport, and café culture replaces car culture.

But even if the officials are right, they know that they have a hard task ahead trying to convince those responsible for setting roads policy to adopt such a dramatic course.

As one senior official said: “We are entering