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London's Oxford Street to go traffic-free in shopping area makeover, says mayor
Published by Global Banking & Finance Review®
Posted on June 16, 2025
2 min readLast updated: January 23, 2026
Global Banking & Finance Review®
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Published by Global Banking & Finance Review®
Posted on June 16, 2025
2 min readLast updated: January 23, 2026
London's Oxford Street will become traffic-free, enhancing its appeal as a shopping and leisure destination, according to Mayor Sadiq Khan.
LONDON -London's Oxford Street, one of Britain's busiest and most famous shopping districts, will be pedestrianised, Mayor of London Sadiq Khan said on Tuesday, in a move designed to smarten up the area and create a new public space to help drive growth.
The plan to rid Oxford Street of cars and buses, which has been over twenty years in the making, looks set to become a reality after consultations on proposals published in September showed a majority of Londoners and businesses back the idea.
Supporters of pedestrianising the mile-long stretch in central London say similar traffic-free schemes for Times Square in New York and La Rambla in Barcelona have breathed new life into tired areas.
"We want to rejuvenate Oxford Street; establish it as a global leader for shopping, leisure and outdoor events with a world-class, accessible, pedestrianised avenue," Khan said in a statement announcing the results of the public consultation.
Oxford Street attracts around half a million visitors every day, according to the mayor's office, but many flagship stores including House of Fraser and Topshop have shut in recent years, and Khan said the area had been neglected.
He will now work with the government on legislation to go traffic-free, which would happen "as quickly as possible". That will require finding new routes for the dozens of buses which travel down it each hour.
The government has said Khan's plan for a new "beautiful public space" which will attract more tourists, drive new investment in the area and create jobs.
(Reporting by Sarah Young; editing by William James)
The main goal is to rejuvenate Oxford Street and establish it as a global leader for shopping, leisure, and outdoor events with a world-class, accessible, pedestrianised avenue.
The plan has been over twenty years in the making, with recent consultations showing majority support for the proposals.
Supporters cite successful traffic-free schemes in Times Square, New York, and La Rambla, Barcelona, which have revitalized those areas.
The plan requires finding new routes for the dozens of buses that currently travel down Oxford Street, which will need to be addressed as part of the implementation.
The government anticipates that the new public space will attract more tourists, drive new investment in the area, and create jobs.
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