{"id":815493,"date":"2026-10-27T13:46:18","date_gmt":"2026-10-27T13:46:18","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/815493\/"},"modified":"2026-10-27T13:46:18","modified_gmt":"2026-10-27T13:46:18","slug":"its-a-better-experience-shoppers-praise-oxford-street-pedestrianisation-pedestrianisation","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/815493\/","title":{"rendered":"\u2018It\u2019s a better experience\u2019: shoppers praise Oxford Street pedestrianisation | Pedestrianisation"},"content":{"rendered":"

To the east of Oxford Circus, there is chaos. A steady stream of red London<\/a> buses swing round the last junction before the newly pedestrianised Oxford Street begins. The streets are crammed with pedestrians, some squabbling over who poked whom with their umbrella first.<\/p>\n

To the west, pedestrians walk freely through the temporary bollards on to a green welcome banner rolled along the tarmac, declaring Oxford Street traffic-free.<\/p>\n

It may be a wetter Monday morning than London\u2019s mayor would have dreamed of, but Sadiq Khan hailed it a \u201cmomentous day\u201d. Almost a kilometre of the capital\u2019s most famous shopping street has now been pedestrianised, banishing the buses, bikes, taxis, e-scooters and pedicabs<\/a> along with private cars.<\/p>\n

Shoppers who spoke to the Guardian shared their enthusiasm for Khan\u2019s project, revelling in how the extra space to walk the street and browse the shops meant they were no longer crammed so tightly that they jostled one other off the pavement.<\/p>\n

Daniel Te captured the moment in his sketchpad. Photograph: David Levene\/The Guardian<\/p>\n

Daniel Te, who had moved to London from the US in July, was so moved by the scene that he whipped out his sketchpad to memorialise the moment. \u201cI\u2019m trying to capture the sheer mass of people going down the street,\u201d he said, observing that despite the pedestrianisation, most people continued to walk on the pavement.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s an entirely new place now, isn\u2019t it?\u201d he said. \u201cMy first impression was I remember getting off the Oxford Circus tube stop and seeing the scramble crossing and all the people walking around, and I was like, \u2018wow, that\u2019s really cool.\u2019 So now to see the whole street become kind of like the scramble crossing is really exciting.\u201d<\/p>\n

Te added that on a typical day he would avoid the street because it was \u201ctoo busy\u201d. \u201cNow there\u2019s more space to walk around, I\u2019m more inclined to come,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

A former city planner, he considered it \u201ca really big achievement when a street becomes pedestrianised\u201d, adding that he would love to see neighbouring streets become car-free. \u201cCovid taught us a lot about what we can do with our spaces,\u201d he said, noting that although he thought the bus rerouting might make some journeys more inconvenient, \u201cit\u2019s a small price to pay\u201d.<\/p>\n

\u2018It\u2019s a better experience,\u2019 said Raquel Cox, on holiday from Ireland. Photograph: David Levene\/The Guardian<\/p>\n

Raquel Cox, who was on holiday from Ireland, came to the street after watching a news item on the pedestrianisation. \u201cWe couldn\u2019t believe it. We said, \u2018We have to go there and experience it first-hand\u2019.\u201d<\/p>\n

Although she acknowledged there could be negative impacts on the surrounding streets, which will become busier as a result, she felt that as a shopper, \u201cit\u2019s a better experience\u201d.<\/p>\n

After decades of discussion, the closure to traffic has come into effect in time for the busy Christmas shopping period, although the bigger transformation of the street \u2013 a \u00a3150m project including trees, seating and level \u201cplazas\u201d for events \u2013 will start taking shape from spring 2027.<\/p>\n

\u2018It\u2019s a more pleasant environment,\u2019 said Abbas Shigival. Photograph: David Levene\/The Guardian<\/p>\n

Abbas Shigival, who runs a kiosk selling tourist souvenirs at the start of the pedestrianised section, said it would take time to determine the impact on his business, though he thought the morning had been a little busier than usual. \u201cIt\u2019s a more pleasant environment,\u201d he said. \u201cPeople are happier because they can walk around.\u201d<\/p>\n

His views were echoed by Khan \u2013 whose first jobs were in retail in stores in the street \u2013 in a speech at John Lewis on Monday morning. The mayor said: \u201cWe\u2019ve seen over the last couple of decades this street in decline \u2026 Pedestrianising the street with great public transport links, more greenery, more seating, will link to a better experience all round.\u201d<\/p>\n

The permanent plans will depend on feedback in the first phase and testing, and Khan said London \u201cwould be closely monitoring these changes to make sure they are working for everyone\u201d. He added: \u201cI want this to be a proof of concept \u2013 that investing in people rather than traffic leads to better footfall and spend.\u201d<\/p>\n

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About half of the 1.2-mile (1.9km) street is now vehicle-free, roughly from Oxford Circus station to Marble Arch. Many of London\u2019s doubledecker buses will now be diverted into neighbouring roads.<\/p>\n

Claire Mann, the chief operating officer at Transport for London, said there would still be \u201cplenty of capacity for passengers\u201d and it should not affect reliability. \u201cWe\u2019ll be monitoring to see if it does have an impact on ridership \u2013 but Bond Street and the Elizabeth Line does give you a way to arrive in style,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

Taxi driver Ben McMullan said \u2018accessibility is a huge problem\u2019, however. Photograph: David Levene\/The Guardian<\/p>\n

Not everyone agrees, however. Ben McMullan, a taxi driver, said traffic was \u201cdefinitely worse on the surrounding streets, and accessibility is a huge problem\u201d, noting that he had \u201cgot stuck in areas I wouldn\u2019t have got stuck in before\u201d.<\/p>\n

He had already dropped off several customers that morning who had struggled with no direct access to the street by car, including a mother with a pram and a woman with walking difficulties. \u201cI could only get her so far and she was really disappointed,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

McMullan feared the change might have a negative impact on his business. \u201cOnce people realise they can\u2019t get to where they need to go, I think automatically that just shuts them off from getting in the cab,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

\u2018It\u2019s not going to work for me,\u2019 said \u2018Jack\u2019, stopped by security guards from cycling along Oxford Street. Photograph: David Levene\/The Guardian<\/p>\n

Jack* was one of many cyclists stopped by security guards over the course of the day as he cycled down the street, on his way home from a construction job. \u201cI\u2019ll be completely honest with you. I\u2019m not going to listen to no one. I\u2019m going to ride down this road, whether they like it or not,\u201d he said, adding that an alternative route would make his commute longer. \u201cIt\u2019s not going to work for me.\u201d<\/p>\n

He disagreed with pedestrianisation on principle. \u201cWe live with loads of low traffic neighbourhoods. It makes it harder for people to actually have vehicles.\u201d<\/p>\n

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