London (AFP) – A stretch of London’s iconic Oxford Street was made traffic-free “forever” starting Monday, as pedestrians took over the country’s most famous shopping street, absent of the capital’s red double-decker buses and black cabs.
“This is a momentous day for Oxford Street, but also for London,” Mayor Sadiq Khan told reporters on the thoroughfare, one of the busiest shopping zones in Europe. “I want to be supporting our shops in Oxford Street and have a kilometre worth of this street — almost half of this street — traffic-free forever,” Khan said, adding the pedestrianisation would increase the number of shoppers.
The street brings in some £3.1 billion ($4.1 billion) spending annually, but has faced challenges, including shops shuttering during the Covid-19 pandemic and a loss of footfall due to a shift to online shopping. “Over the last couple of decades it’s been in decline, I’d say managed decline,” Khan told BBC Radio 4 about the street lined with luxury retailers, clothing chains, and department stores. “I’m not willing to stand by as shops leave this street, as jobs leave this street,” he said.
But the scheme has proved controversial among residents worried about traffic jams in neighbouring areas as well as among disability rights activists. Khan said there were cab ranks and bus stops near the street so people can still access the area with ease.
“For centuries, Oxford Street has reinvented itself, adapting to changing times and helping shape British culture along the way,” he added, saying the move would “revitalise” the road and make the capital “greener”. Around half the street has been pedestrianised, with plans to close off the rest to vehicles depending on the success of the first phase.
“Today marks an exciting new chapter for Oxford Street as work begins to transform one of the world’s most iconic high streets,” said Meave Wall, chief retail and digital officer at the Selfridges department store, which opened on the West End road more than a century ago.
© 2024 AFP
