Follow up: Traffic-free Oxford Street consultation
Updated: 07 June 2018
Back in April 2017, Transport for London (TfL) received nearly 12,000 responses to their consultation on their vision to change a large part of Oxford Street into a traffic-free area. This built upon the views you gave us here on Talk London in the Clean Air consultation (July 2016), in our discussion on pedestrianisation and in our survey.
The TfL consultation report from April this year shows that 62% support the transformation of Oxford Street, a feeling shared by many of you in this earlier discussion.
Tfl have listened to the concerns and issues of local resident groups, businesses and others and have now come up with detailed proposals for the transformation of the street and the entire surrounding district.
The proposals aim to:
- Make it much easier to walk throughout the area
- Create safe, accessible and inspiring public spaces full of life and spectacle to address some of the very serious and pressing issues of poor road safety and air quality in the Oxford Street area
- Support businesses to grow and respond to the district as it transforms and create new jobs
- Equally protect and enhance the quality of life for residents in the area
- Support the introduction of the Elizabeth line to the area
Update:
On 7 June, Westminster Council announced that the plans to pedestrianise a large part of Oxford Street are now cancelled. In a statement, the council announced it made this decision based on the evidence gathered during the consultation and local elections, that local people did not support the pedestrianisation proposals.
Westminster Council said it is now working on their own proposals to improve the Oxford Street district and will share them with residents, business and visitors for discussion in the early Autumn.
The Mayor called Westminster Council’s announcement a “threat to the future of Oxford Street”, and said that pedestrianising the area would have made a big difference in tackling the air pollution, which regularly exceeds the legal air pollution limits.
We will keep you updated on what happens next.