Oxford Street to be pedestrianised by 2020

Buses and taxis are currently allowed to use Oxford Street

Buses and taxis are currently allowed to use Oxford Street

Oxford Street will be pedestrianised by 2020, the mayor of London's office has announced. All traffic, including buses and taxis, will be banned from the shopping street as part of mayor Sadiq Khan’s plans to reduce air pollution in the capital.

Valerie Shawcross, London's deputy mayor for transport, told the London Assembly on Wednesday that the plan was to ban all traffic along Oxford Street from Tottenham Court Road as far as Marble Arch.

Khan pledged to pedestrianise Oxford Street during his campaign to become London’s mayor. He said: “I will start by bringing back car-free days, and possibly weekends, before moving towards full pedestrianisation. Our eventual ambition should be to turn one of the world’s most polluted streets into one of the world’s finest public spaces – a tree-lined avenue from Tottenham Court Road to Marble Arch.”

Khan regards the impending completion of Crossrail –  to be known as the Elizabeth Line – also offers an opportunity to end the use of Oxford Street as a vehicle route.

Pedestrianisation would be rolled out in two stages in order to reduce disruption along the 1.2 mile thoroughfare, which is visited by than four million people each week. The first section to be pedestrianised will be the eastern section, between Tottenham Court Road and Oxford Circus.

Cars are already banned on most of Oxford Street between 07:00 and 19:00 every day apart from Sunday. Traffic-free shopping days have also been a feature on both Oxford Street and Regent Street ever since.

The fastest bus journey along the length of Oxford Street is estimated at 4.6mph on weekdays, compared to the walking pace of the average pedestrian at 3.1mph. Buses would be re-routed around Oxford Street, but details of planned routes have yet to be revealed.

Siwan Puw, policy manager at the London Chambers of Commerce, told the BBC: "The huge increase in footfall will require clear planning to maximise pedestrian safety and minimise disruption to businesses. Doing it in stages certainly has its advantages in that it means trading will continue more easily and any issues can be ironed out as we go along.”

Walking charity Living Streets welcomed the announcement. This is a great start to creating an iconic walking city, improving the health of those living and working in it.

Joe Irvin, Living Streets’ CEO said: “This is a bold move that will save lives and clean up one of London’s most polluted streets. It will require a comprehensive review of buses in central London to ensure the problems of Oxford Street are not simply pushed elsewhere and that the street remains accessible for everyone. We are hopeful that this is just the start in a series of changes that will transform London into the greatest city in the world for walking.

“We’ve long been campaigning for Oxford Street to be vehicle-free. Pollution and traffic are posing a threat to the public and undermining Oxford Street’s reputation as one of the world’s most iconic streets. By 2018 Crossrail will be open, turning 150,000 more people every day onto Oxford Street - this is a game-changer.”