Mayor's plan for beach by Thames

The Mayor aims to create a sandy beach alongside the Thames and model London streets on continental boulevards for cyclists and pedestrians.

The first scheme will be the £18million partpedestrianisation of Parliament Square, while Ken Livingstone also thinks Portland Place - between Regent's Park and Oxford Street - could be pedestrian friendly.

He also suggests that the four-lane Victoria Embankment beside the Thames could be closed for a day. Each August the Right Bank in Paris is closed for two miles and turned into a beach.

But Edmund King, of the RAC Foundation, said: "Mr Livingstone does not seem to realise that Paris virtually shuts down each August, but London is very busy throughout the year. Banning traffic might sound environmentally friendly but it could push up emissions by sending vehicles on longer routes."