Westminster council leader hits out at ‘Temu’ Oxford Street pedestrianisation plans

Many don’t realise that regular motor vehicles are already banned from using Oxford Street. Plans to make the road vehicle-free will only change things, as they stand, for buses and taxis.

Cllr Swaddle said one of his biggest concerns is accessibility. Oxford Street Tube Station is not step-free, so if buses and taxis are banned, this leaves unanswered questions about how the disabled and elderly will access the area.

“Where do the taxis drop off? Where do deliveries go? How do the bins get emptied? None of these are answered in the public plans that have been shared to date. And that’s the really concerning thing,” said Cllr Swaddle.

One of the Tory’s other major concerns is how pedestrianisation will affect crime on Oxford Street. There are currently major issues with phone-snatching and shop-lifting. A large-scale begging operation, founded on human trafficking, also brazenly operates on the busy road.

“We all know locally who they are because they have the same sign, they’re just such an organised operation that the signs are all in the same handwriting and say exactly the same thing,” said Cllr Swaddle.

He added: “At the moment if you go to Oxford Street at midnight, there are buses, there’re people getting night buses, people around, you would feel relatively safe. If you were crossing that on your own, well if one of my kids was crossing it on their own in the evening, I’d be concerned.”

However, there are examples of pedestrianisation going well. There was much opposition to the pedestrianisation of Carnaby Street. It is now touted as a success, with 30 per cent more shoppers now using the road.

Cllr Swaddle says this is not a fair comparison, as Carnaby Street was never “the main east-west street for buses in London,” in the way that Oxford Street is.

If all goes to plan, Oxford Street will become fully pedestrianised by the end of summer 2026.

A spokesperson for the Mayor of London, said: “The Mayor is moving ahead rapidly with the pedestrianisation of Oxford Street and hopes to see the first section going traffic free by the end of this summer.

“He looks forward to continuing to work closely with all stakeholders on these plans to create a beautiful pedestrian-friendly public space that restore the nation’s high street to its former glory, making Oxford Street a place for all.”