London’s Oxford Street to become a pedestrian zone

The famous London shopping street Oxford Street is to become a pedestrian zone in part. “A revitalized, traffic-calmed Oxford Street would increase footfall, create new jobs and boost growth in London and across the UK.”

This was announced by the mayor’s office of the British capital. According to the plans, a 1.1-kilometre section between Oxford Circus and Marble Arch would be completely closed to traffic. The section could later be extended to the east. The conversion is expected to cost around 150 million pounds (178 million euros) and be completed by 2027.

Until now, traffic has been banned between 7 a.m. and 7 p.m. from Monday to Saturday, with exceptions for buses and cabs. In future, no more vehicles will be allowed to drive there.

The conservative opposition accused Mayor Sadiq Khan of the Social Democratic Labor Party of waging a campaign against motorists. It was also criticized that elderly or disabled people and employees were dependent on buses and cabs. However, major department stores such as Selfridges and John Lewis were confident.

Like many other shopping streets, Oxford Street had suffered from the consequences of the coronavirus pandemic. Around 500,000 passers-by are now being counted every day again. However, some stores are empty. In addition, cheap stores and souvenir stores have set up shop, which is detracting from the exclusive image.

“Oxford Street was once the crown jewel of British retail, but there is no doubt that it has suffered enormously over the past decade,” said Khan. “Urgent action is needed to breathe new life into the country’s most famous high street.” The minister responsible, Angela Rayner of Khan’s Labor party, backed the plans.

SDA