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Ducking and weaving through crowds, angry cabbies beeping at tourists standing in the road and a million and one shopping bags being swung into your legs sums up a pretty standard trip to Oxford Street – but Sadiq Khan is looking to change that.
Khan has long advocated for an at least partly vehicle-free Oxford Street. Instead the street is envisioned as a sort of ‘pedestrian plaza’ with plenty of space for shoppers and tourists alike to spread out a little.
The idea of a pedestrianised Oxford Street has been kicking around for a while. Khan first broached the idea in 2017, and while initial attempts were shot down the current Labour government has given the London mayor some control over the Oxford Street area, and major transformational plans are now afoot.
This week Sadiq Khan’s vision for a pedestrianised Oxford Street has taken a big first step. An online public consultation on the future of the area has been launched, and the responses will be used to gauge public opinion on pedestrianisation, make sure the plans will deliver for the local community, and iron out other details.
Back in September 2024, a YouGov poll found that Londoners in general support the pedestrianisation of Oxford Street, with 63 percent of those surveyed in support of the plans and only 11 percent strongly against them. The official consultation will provide deeper insight into what Londoners think the future of Oxford Street should look like.
Sadiq Khan has encouraged everyone to have their say on the proposals and the online consultation form will be live until May 2 2025. If you have something to say about the project, the form can be found here.
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