London will completely pedestrianize its most famous and commercial street, to make it “safer and more pleasant.” The mayor, , has just given the green light to the plan, which involves completely eliminating traffic starting in September of this year on a street similar to Gran Vía in Madrid or Paseo de Gracia in Barcelona.
The British capital has several measures in place to reduce traffic, such as its low-emission zones and, which year after year. The new initiative, however, is more designed for tourism and events, since only taxis and buses now pass through Oxford Street.
the councilor has instructed Transport for London (TfL) – London’s mobility authority – to divert traffic from Oxford Street between Great Portland Street and Orchard Street. After the summer, all vehicles will stop traveling on this emblematic road.
Khan points out that pedestrianization will make Oxford Street safer and more pleasant for visitors, as well as making it a global benchmark for shopping, leisure and outdoor events, competing with cities such as Paris and New York. “We are going to transform Oxford Street into a world-leading urban space for shopping, leisure and outdoor events,” he says.
The City Council is sure that the majority of the city’s inhabitants agree with its plans, as demonstrated by a survey they conducted last summer in which 63% of participants were in favor.
Conventional traffic was already prohibited in the area from 7:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. from Monday to Saturday. Buses still running on Oxford Street will be diverted via Wigmore Street and Henrietta Place, with new stops and shelters being installed. The City Council estimates that travel time will only increase to one minute, and will install new bus and taxi stops near the pedestrian zone.
When it becomes effective, no motorized vehicle (cars, buses, taxis or rental cars) will be able to pass through Oxford Street, but neither will bicycles, scooters or pedicabs. For this reason, new bike lanes will be created along alternative routes. Meanwhile, delivery vehicles will only be able to access from midnight to 7:00 in the morning.
London has developed several strategies to make the city more cyclist- and pedestrian-friendly and restrict traffic, including pedestrianization and numerous cycle lanes, different low-emission zones and, two years ago, an ultra-low emissions zone (ULEZ). Thanks to this, Londoners now breathe cleaner air, especially in some of the poorest areas of the city, and the levels of the most harmful pollutants for health have dropped drastically.
