>The road between Oxford Circus and Marble Arch – 0.7 miles – will be covered by the plans announced today. More changes towards Tottenham Court Road could be planned in future.
Now they just need to make all of Zone 1 pedestrianised
Unless Westminster Council actually deals with the American Candy shops Oxford Street is pretty much over as a destination for shopping.
Everyone I know generally goes to Westfields as it’s a much nicer place to shop.
Soho and the surrounds do need to be temporarily pedestrianised. It’s complete fucking carnage on Friday and Saturday nights again.
I’m struggling to see any possible argument against this. For those who’ve been recently, Oxford Street has become an unpleasant place to walk down. It’s far too busy, noisy, and dirty and seemingly everyone I speak to hates it. Few more trees, more space, and a more relaxed atmosphere would be a massive improvement.
Town centres across the country have been made significantly more pleasant and more popular shopping destinations through pedestrianisation and it’s genuinely shocking it’s taken so long to bring it to parts of Central London.
The self-described “blade runners” will be furious about this. “It’s like Nazi Germany or something like that!”
[deleted]
Am I the only one struggling to parse the title of this post? Is it a comma after the pedestrianised that’s missing?
Great! All the big American Candy fans will certainly boost the local economy!
There have been proposals to do this for years, going back to long before Sadiq. Let’s see if it actually happens as planned this time.
I’m not opposed to this, but Oxford street also has side roads off it, like, what happens to them? Some need cars to go down it to do deliveries. Then, removing cars from this street will just cause increase congestion in the surrounding area.
This is a nice idea, but not very thought out, and the money it will cost could be put to much better use elsewhere.
Honestly, this is a good thing and they should also do it for Soho
Hope the businesses and hotels there don’t want any repairs doing. I don’t start til 9.
Can we also have fast walking lanes? Some of us need to get to places.
As long as he doesn’t start crying about the high street dying do what you want
I would like this, however, there are challenges.
Where do the busses go? Are cyclists banned too? How will that be enforced? What about elderly and disabled? I guess there is the back of John Lewis/ marble Arch but those roads will become seriously congested.
Obviously out of hours, delivery vehicles need to get in.
Personally I would leave it as is and just make it taxi and busses only for the entire shopping stretch. Busses are helpful to get around.
Long overdue, it’s crazy that it’s been left open to vehicles for this long.
I used to work on great marlborough street which is just behind Oxford Street and going out at lunchtime was so bad with the traffic.
I remember some weekends they temporarily pedestrianised the street and it was great, if a little eerie.
I think pedestrianising it would be good but tbh with the way retail is now I don’t think it would make a difference, but happy to be proven wrong!
Massive pro this but the proposed image render looks pretty uninspired.
Good. Plants lots and lots of trees and green spaces full of wildlife
I wrote my A level geography assessment / dissertation on this exact scenario 16 years ago. I want some sort of recognition. Nothing major something like renaming it to sams street will be ok.
Is it just me that thinks £150million seems crazy expensive to me?
I like the idea though it desperately needs it.
The article says it will cost £150 million.
But apparently the country is so skint that it needs to stop paying the pensioners’ winter fuel allowance, the NHS is crumbling from underfunding, and way more people are having to use food banks.
I moved from London about 20 years ago but I actually pop up to Oxford Street at least once a year when I’m over. (to get a cheeky salt beef sandwich at the Brass Rail)
I would be all for a redevelopment of the street. Get the tacky money laundering shops shut down and lose the traffic…
But…fully pedestrian? I’m sceptical. London is NOT Barcelona. It rains. and Oxford Street on Shanks’ Pony would be a slog.
I hope they consider putting a tram in there. Plenty of room for a couple of tram lines. it would look cute and be a way of getting around without getting soaked when it’s raining.
Props to them for trying something. I’ve not been down Oxford street for a long while other than to walk from one place to another. God knows I don’t want to shop there. If this helps revitalise the area then good luck
It better ban those shitty pedicab/rickshaw bike things from the area as well. They are a real nuisance in busy areas of London, taking up mass space and blasting loud music.
I will never understand why tourists pay for them, especially considering their extortionate rates.
25 comments
>The road between Oxford Circus and Marble Arch – 0.7 miles – will be covered by the plans announced today. More changes towards Tottenham Court Road could be planned in future.
Now they just need to make all of Zone 1 pedestrianised
Unless Westminster Council actually deals with the American Candy shops Oxford Street is pretty much over as a destination for shopping.
Everyone I know generally goes to Westfields as it’s a much nicer place to shop.
Soho and the surrounds do need to be temporarily pedestrianised. It’s complete fucking carnage on Friday and Saturday nights again.
I’m struggling to see any possible argument against this. For those who’ve been recently, Oxford Street has become an unpleasant place to walk down. It’s far too busy, noisy, and dirty and seemingly everyone I speak to hates it. Few more trees, more space, and a more relaxed atmosphere would be a massive improvement.
Town centres across the country have been made significantly more pleasant and more popular shopping destinations through pedestrianisation and it’s genuinely shocking it’s taken so long to bring it to parts of Central London.
The self-described “blade runners” will be furious about this. “It’s like Nazi Germany or something like that!”
[deleted]
Am I the only one struggling to parse the title of this post? Is it a comma after the pedestrianised that’s missing?
Great! All the big American Candy fans will certainly boost the local economy!
There have been proposals to do this for years, going back to long before Sadiq. Let’s see if it actually happens as planned this time.
I’m not opposed to this, but Oxford street also has side roads off it, like, what happens to them? Some need cars to go down it to do deliveries. Then, removing cars from this street will just cause increase congestion in the surrounding area.
This is a nice idea, but not very thought out, and the money it will cost could be put to much better use elsewhere.
Honestly, this is a good thing and they should also do it for Soho
Hope the businesses and hotels there don’t want any repairs doing.
I don’t start til 9.
Can we also have fast walking lanes? Some of us need to get to places.
As long as he doesn’t start crying about the high street dying do what you want
I would like this, however, there are challenges.
Where do the busses go? Are cyclists banned too? How will that be enforced? What about elderly and disabled? I guess there is the back of John Lewis/ marble Arch but those roads will become seriously congested.
Obviously out of hours, delivery vehicles need to get in.
Personally I would leave it as is and just make it taxi and busses only for the entire shopping stretch. Busses are helpful to get around.
Long overdue, it’s crazy that it’s been left open to vehicles for this long.
I used to work on great marlborough street which is just behind Oxford Street and going out at lunchtime was so bad with the traffic.
I remember some weekends they temporarily pedestrianised the street and it was great, if a little eerie.
I think pedestrianising it would be good but tbh with the way retail is now I don’t think it would make a difference, but happy to be proven wrong!
Massive pro this but the proposed image render looks pretty uninspired.
Good. Plants lots and lots of trees and green spaces full of wildlife
I wrote my A level geography assessment / dissertation on this exact scenario 16 years ago. I want some sort of recognition. Nothing major something like renaming it to sams street will be ok.
Is it just me that thinks £150million seems crazy expensive to me?
I like the idea though it desperately needs it.
The article says it will cost £150 million.
But apparently the country is so skint that it needs to stop paying the pensioners’ winter fuel allowance, the NHS is crumbling from underfunding, and way more people are having to use food banks.
I moved from London about 20 years ago but I actually pop up to Oxford Street at least once a year when I’m over. (to get a cheeky salt beef sandwich at the Brass Rail)
I would be all for a redevelopment of the street. Get the tacky money laundering shops shut down and lose the traffic…
But…fully pedestrian? I’m sceptical. London is NOT Barcelona. It rains. and Oxford Street on Shanks’ Pony would be a slog.
I hope they consider putting a tram in there. Plenty of room for a couple of tram lines. it would look cute and be a way of getting around without getting soaked when it’s raining.
Props to them for trying something. I’ve not been down Oxford street for a long while other than to walk from one place to another. God knows I don’t want to shop there. If this helps revitalise the area then good luck
It better ban those shitty pedicab/rickshaw bike things from the area as well. They are a real nuisance in busy areas of London, taking up mass space and blasting loud music.
I will never understand why tourists pay for them, especially considering their extortionate rates.