Almost a Kilometre of Oxford Street Goes Traffic-Free

Almost a kilometre of Oxford Street, one of London's best-known shopping streets, has been closed to vehicles. City Hall says the section between the Selfridges and IKEA stores is now permanently traffic-free for the first time.

Buses, bicycles, taxis, e-scooters, pedicabs (cycle rickshaws) and private cars are all banned from the pedestrianised stretch. London Mayor Sadiq Khan spoke about the change in a speech at John Lewis on Monday morning, calling it a "momentous day."

Shoppers filled the street on its first traffic-free day, according to the BBC. Daniel Te, who moved to London from the United States in July, said he usually avoided Oxford Street because it was too busy, but he is now more inclined to visit. Raquel Cox, who is on holiday from Ireland, said she went after seeing news coverage of the change and described it as a better shopping experience.

Shoppers told the Guardian that they welcomed the extra room to walk and browse, and that they no longer felt pushed off the pavement. Abbas Shigival, who runs a tourist souvenir kiosk at the start of the section, said the street is a more pleasant place and that people are happier because they can walk around.

The closure took effect in time for the Christmas shopping period, ending decades of discussion about the street's future. Before the permanent change, the street was closed to traffic for a single day during a showcase event called "This is Oxford Street," which ran from noon until 8pm. City Hall has said that event gave a significant boost to the local economy.

A wider £150m transformation is due to start taking shape from spring 2027. It includes trees, seating and level plazas that can host events. The scheme is backed by the government.

Traffic is a separate concern. Westminster City Council, the local authority for the area, has said that a pedestrianised Oxford Street would require traffic to be diverted onto residential streets, leading to high traffic flows on those roads.