Streets ahead:Congestion on Oxford Street, Regent Street & Bond Street

Our report says various schemes to reduce traffic congestion and improve the pedestrian experience in one of the world’s premier shopping destinations may not be enough, prompting a call for more radical thinking. At the heart of the problem is the conflict between the need to provide a pleasant shopping and leisure environment, and meeting the demand for transport links through the West End.

To address this conflict, the report calls on the Mayor to work with Transport for London (TfL) and Westminster Council to assess the feasibility of re-routing buses to reduce the number that travel through the area, should current plans prove inadequate. Longer-term solutions like providing a shuttle bus along the length of Oxford Street, or pedestrianising the area between Oxford Circus and Bond Street should also be properly assessed.

The report also calls on TfL to undertake a comprehensive review of the transport provision in the area as a whole, including the impact of Crossrail. If a shuttle bus is introduced, or there is extensive re-routing of bus routes, TfL should also consider the potential for more flexible ticketing arrangements so passengers do not end up paying more if they switch buses.

Related documents:

• Streets ahead (PDF, 327kb)
• Streets ahead (RTF, 287kb)
• Mayoral response (PDF, 27kb)
• Mayoral response (RTF, 13kb)
• Transport for London Response (PDF, 1.72MB)
• Transport for London Response (RTF, 141kb)

Follow up

On 18 February the Transport Committee wrote to David Brown (PDF, 39kb), Managing Director of Surface Transport at Transport for London seeking further information about plans for easing congestion in the Oxford Street area, and he responded (PDF, 216kb) on 7 March.

On 21 October the Transport Committee wrote to Transport for London, to follow up on the Streets Ahead report.

Related documents:

• Follow-up letter to David Brown (PDF, 42kb)
• Follow-up letter to David Brown (RTF, 50kb)
• TfL response to follow-up letter from David Brown (PDF, 80kb)

Submissions

You can view evidence received during the investigation from:

• Contributions from campaign groups (PDF, 3.32MB)
• DEFRA, LB Camden, Steven Norris, LB Westminster (PDF, 1MB)
• Transport for London (PDF, 1.85MB)
• TfL Oxford Street Transit Feasibility Study (PDF, 3.36MB)
• Written views from individuals and questionnaire responses (PDF, 1.56MB)

Responses

Responses to our report from the Living Streets Action Group and the Campaign for Better Transport are available below.

• Response from Living Streets Action Group (PDF, 53kb)
• Response from Living Streets Action Group (RTF, 35.3kb)
• Response from Campaign for Better Transport (PDF, 13kb)
• Response from Campaign for Better Transport (RTF, 13.5kb)