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Traffic-free Oxford St a hit with shops and shoppers
Last updated at 11:08am on 04.12.06
Street trading: shoppers fill Oxford Street, free of cars and buses
More than a million shoppers enjoyed a traffic-free West End after buses and cars were banned from Oxford Street and Regent Street for the first time.
Street performances including acrobats, bagpipes and Santas entertained the crowds as one of London's most notorious congestion hotspots filled with people rather than traffic.
Launching the event from the centre of Oxford Circus on Saturday, Mayor Ken Livingstone said: "One day, in the nottoo-distant future, we will be transforming the whole of Oxford Street, with a tram running right down the centre.
"This will make it a much more pleasant place to shop and turn it into a world-class shopping destination to rival the Champs-Elysées in Paris and Fifth Avenue in New York."
Most retailers and shoppers said the day had been a great success, with stores reporting strong sales and huge rises in customer numbers. However, passengers faced confusion as buses were re-routed along back streets. There were complaints that shoppers had been left without directions and were unable to find the temporary bus stops.
Mark Taylor, manager of Boots in Oxford Street, said: "I've been in retail for 15 years and Saturday was one of the best days in retailing I can ever remember.
"The West End was completely buzzing. It would be impossible to get rid of transport in Oxford Street altogether, so I think a tram would be an excellent middle ground."
Jace Tyrell, of the New West End Company, which organised the event and aims to boost trade in the area, said: "It shows what Oxford Street could achieve if it was treated as a destination and not as a thoroughfare."
Reader views (10)
it was smashing to be able to shop with my wife and not have to worry about mad bus & taxi drivers hell bent in terminating us either with their vehicles or exhausts. We have the trams in Manchester so a tram would be a beezer of a way to move people up and down the street so digitus extractus and get those rails laid!
- James Harkins, warrington cheshire
Ted: pedestrianisation on Oxford Street isn't targetting the motorist, as cars are already banned on most of the road. It's targetting buses and taxis.
Daniel: the plan for the Christmas pedestrianisation was announced by TfL months ago -- how much notice do you need? Or do you mean that the problem is that you personally weren't notified, and if so then how do you think TfL should notify you?
- Mike Scott, London, UK
I agree with Vicky in that on Saturday they should have made better arrangements for Oxford Circus tube station, it was scary how many people tried to get in at the same time. The tram would be a good idea, it works in cities like Amsterdam, Helsinki, Melbourne, why would it not work in London? I rather look out for one or 2 trams coming from either way with a warning bell ringing than at the moment for the buses and taxi's that race around. For the rest I thoroughly enjoyed the live music (especially the band in front of John Lewis), this should be a regular feature in December! And surprisingly the shops weren't as busy as could have been!
- Anne, London
Oxford Street was chaos this weekend - it may have been a success for the retailers but it was a disaster for a great many people trying to move about and actually shop. At the end of the day, when there were still too many people around for buses to get through, the tube stations became overcrowded and had to close their barriers. There were police on the street trying to prevent a crush at Oxford Circus and a dangerous amount of people unable to move along the street or make their way home. What's more, from what I could see the "entertainment" comprised two loud speakers pumping out unseasonal tunes from a radio station, four large balloons, and a stage. I guess at least this tawdry, ill-thought out embarrassment was in keeping with what we usually expect from Oxford Street!
- Vicky, London, UK
I was in Oxford Street on Saturday and thoroughly enjoyed being given the freedom to walk down the middle of the road. The entertainment was also great fun - especially the trapeze artists dangling beneath huge balloons at Oxford Circus - it lent a fun, party atmosphere to what is normally a pretty miserable experience! I would like to see Oxford Street permanently pedestrianised and the slightly scuzzy shops at the Tottenham Court Road end of the street given a complete revamp...
- Cooperman, London
I love the idea of a pedestrian Oxford Street. Surely putting a tram line in would spoil the whole effect. Not least because the tram would be an overground version of the underground - if you see what I mean - it would add very little value and remove the easy of being able to walk across the street.
- Graham Sewell, Reading, England
This is a great idea. They could do even more to encourage shopping in the area by making the Trams free to people who can display proof of a recent purchased in Oxford Street itself. Lots of happy shoppers whizzing up and down this sorely neglected part of the city. I do have to wonder though if the tram Idea was just tacked on at the end of the proposal... maybe because there were a few already ordered for use in Ealing going to waste?
- Stephen, W6
This will just push traffic up north causing further congestion and subsequently pollution in London. What we need is not to close off this road but make it one way like Piccadilly. If we did that we could widen the pavements and have a dedicated bus/taxi lane without totally cutting off this vital artery through the centre of London.
Alternatively they could implement a busy times only opening of the road, keep it pedestrianised outside of midnight-9:30 am and 4:30-7 pm.
Why does there never seem to be any compromise when it comes to schemes targeting the motorist.
- Ted, London
I hated going to Oxford St this weekend... I couldn't find my busstop and loads of people were milling about like they were at a street festival. Stupid idiots! If they gave us enough notice I'd have liked this, but going to Oxford St and finding it all confusing was not what I needed on my Christmas present shopping mission.
- Daniel Mckinnon, Welwyn Garden City
I think it's fantastic that Oxford Street was pedesrianised this weekend, especially with the entertainment put on for all the tourists. Do we really need so many buses up and down this road? As much as I normally hate him I think Ken Livingstone has it spot on with his tram idea. Or how about moving walkways?
- Katie, Covent Garden
