Big Changes Coming to Oxford Street as Pedestrian Plans Win Approval

London’s mayor has given formal approval to pedestrianise Oxford Street, instructing Transport for London to begin implementing changes that would see the road closed to vehicles between Great Portland Street and Orchard Street by September this year.
The decision follows a second public consultation in which 2,700 people responded, with City Hall saying the majority supported the proposed traffic diversions. An earlier consultation that closed last summer found 63% of Londoners were in favour of the scheme overall.
Under the approved plans, the stretch of Oxford Street between Orchard Street and Great Portland Street will be closed to private cars, buses, taxis, private-hire vehicles, cycles, scooters and pedicabs. Service and delivery vehicles will retain access between midnight and 7am. Buses currently using Oxford Street will be rerouted along Wigmore Street and Henrietta Place, with new stops and shelters to be installed along those alternative routes. TfL calculated the additional journey time for rerouted bus passengers at under one minute.
New and wider pedestrian crossings will be installed, and new cycle routes will be created given that cycling will no longer be permitted on the pedestrianised stretch. New taxi ranks and drop-off points will be positioned as close to the traffic-free zone as possible, and the possibility of additional blue-badge parking bays in the surrounding area is being considered.
TfL said the plans would proceed exactly as previously consulted on, with no changes made to the original proposals.
Not everyone has welcomed the scheme. Some local residents previously raised concerns with the BBC over traffic displacement onto surrounding streets, the rerouting of buses, and the implications for disabled users. Westminster City Council, which has consistently opposed pedestrianisation, said its role was now to ensure the transformation worked for local communities. Council leader Adam Hug said the authority had secured a number of improvements to the original plans over the past 18 months, including retention of bus access in the eastern section of Oxford Street and the council keeping its strategic development funding.
Sadiq Khan said he would outline further details in the coming days. TfL said it would continue to monitor the impact of changes as they were introduced and would consider further revisions if appropriate.​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​