A traffic-free Oxford Street is long overdue – our internationally iconic shopping street is run-down, struggling and hostile – thanks to too much traffic and overcrowded pavements. But the Mayor’s plans neglect cycling badly: if we’re not going to get a cycle track down the middle of Oxford Street (which is what many European cities would do), then we need several parallel cycle routes that are safe, good quality and nearby. Thousands of Londonders daily already cycle east-west here, many more will if it’s safe.
TfL needs to work closely with Westminster City Council to fund and build these routes. And that also very likely means working on reducing traffic across the whole of the West End, not just Oxford Street. Which would make the areas around Oxford Street better for residents, safe and pleasant for everyone to walk, wheel & cycle and better for businesses too. Read all about it in our “Low Traffic West End” report.
Please take less than a minute to email TfL and the leader of Westminster Council today to ask for parallel, direct, high-quality and high-capacity cycling routes nearby and both sides of Oxford Street for this consultation.