Oxford Street will continue to ‘present unacceptable dangers to cycling’

LRSC Oxford Street

Oxford Street in May 2017. Image: Captain Roger Fenton, via Flickr.

New plans to develop Oxford Street will not ‘decisively reduce motor traffic in the area’, according to the London Cycling Campaign.

Earlier this year, Westminster Council told officials to stop working on plans to pedestrianise Oxford Street, describing them as ‘unacceptable’.

The proposals, first unveiled in 2016, would have seen all vehicles banned from a 1.2 mile stretch of Oxford Street, from Tottenham Court Road to Bond Street tube station, by 2020.

However, following a public consultation, Westminster Council rejected the proposals, saying it was ‘sticking up for people who know best’ – those who live and work in the area.

On 6 November, a new consultation into the future of Oxford Street was opened to the public by Westminster Council.

The council’s fresh ‘Place Strategy and Delivery Plan’ has identified 96 projects across 87 streets and spaces, including proposals for major improvements at Oxford Circus, Marble Arch and Cavendish Square.

Dr Ashok Sinha, CEO of the London Cycling Campaign, said:

“The council’s timid proposals will not decisively reduce motor traffic in the area as so urgently needed.

“As a result, Oxford Street will continue to be choked by traffic fumes, blighted by overcrowded pavements, and present unacceptable dangers to cycling.

“It’s as if the council actually want it to be an embarrassment among global, 21st century destinations.”

Living Streets says it wants to see radical plans to improve the street and surrounding neighbourhoods.

Joe Irvin, CEO of Living Streets, said:

“The proposals from the City of Westminster are no doubt a step in the right direction.

“But the problems of road safety, overcrowding and pollution in Oxford Street, together with the challenge to its retail offer, require a transformative plan and we are not convinced these proposals are enough to meet the challenges facing Oxford Street.

“We also remain concerned that traffic domination across the wider area is not being adequately addressed.”


13 November 2018