London’s famous Oxford Street is closing to cars

In a few days, one of Europe’s liveliest shopping streets—the famous Oxford Street in London—will be closed to traffic. The Guardian reports, writes UNN.

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In February, London Mayor Sadiq Khan announced that Britain’s most famous street, Oxford Street, would become pedestrianized. On Monday, October 26, Europe’s busiest shopping street—or rather, half of its 1.2-mile (1.9 km) length—will be closed to traffic, bringing an end to several decades of heated disputes, obstructions, and delays. Cars, trucks, vans, taxis, buses, bicycles, e-bikes, and scooters will be prohibited. Access will be permitted only to pedestrians (and emergency vehicles).

The change will mark the most significant transformation of central London’s streetscape since at least 2003, when Trafalgar Square was transformed from a glorified roundabout into one of London’s most recognizable public spaces. It will also become the most visible part of the mayor’s legacy, regardless of whether Khan runs for a fourth term in 2028. Three years ago, Khan published a memoir and manifesto titled "Breathe," explaining his asthma by saying that he had grown up breathing polluted London air. For the mayor, turning Oxford Street into a pedestrianized area is the culmination of a mission to create a greener city focused on public health, walking, and cycling, the publication notes.

"Turning Oxford Street into a pedestrianized area is one thing; making Oxford Street a place where everyone genuinely wants to spend time is quite another. For weary Londoners and anxious visitors, it is a headache in the form of a high street. Its main associations are crowds, stress, dirt, noise, the most absurd manifestations of consumer capitalism, and crime," the publication says.

According to the latest estimates, more than 500,000 people visit it every day—equivalent to the population of Edinburgh. It seems reasonable to assume that most of London’s 22 million foreign visitors each year have set foot on it. The street generates 5% of the British capital’s economic output and lives in the national imagination like few others. "When I was 17, London meant Oxford Street," Everything But the Girl sang in their 1988 song of the same name: "It was a small world". 

The pedestrian zone, which will begin operating next week, will cover 0.6 miles (up to 1 km), extending westward from the vicinity of Oxford Circus to Selfridges.

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