Curb bus congestion in West End, plead bosses

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Firms including Austin Reed, Debenhams, Habitat, Hamleys, Selfridges and Marks and Spencer are calling on the Mayor to cut the "large number" of buses they say are bringing parts of the area to a standstill.

The letter is signed by 30 senior figures including Charlie Mayfield, chairman of the John Lewis Partnership, Hugh Seaborn, chairman of Westminster Property Owners Association, and Richard Pulford, chief executive of the Society of London Theatre.

It says: "In recent years a range of surveys and studies has shown that improving the pedestrian environment is a top priority for visitors. This can only be achieved by reducing the large number of buses in the area."

The letter also signed by the divisional director of Boots and the property director of Great Portland Estates cites an Evening Standard poll showing more than 70 per cent of respondents wanted fewer buses in Oxford Street.

It points to an analysis by business group London First which showed there was a "practical way to help achieve this objective in the short term by making alterations to bus routes in Oxford Street and Regent Street."

Today, Baroness Valentine, chief executive of London First, said: "The West End should be a welcoming environment for visitors, not an open-air bus depot. By reducing the number on Oxford Street we can free up subsidy for less well-served areas at the same time as improving the pedestrian experience."

A London First report this month said 24 bus routes were sending 330 vehicles an hour along Oxford Street and 220 an hour along Regent Street. It described jams made up almost entirely of buses.

London First found that terminating six routes in the Marble Arch and Tottenham Court Road areas would cut bus traffic in Oxford and Regent Streets by 20 per cent. They claimed only five per cent of passengers would have to switch routes and Transport for London would save about £3 million. A TfL spokesman said: "The Mayor has made clear his commitment to making Oxford Street as attractive and easy to access as possible. We will be looking at how to make improvements to the flow of buses."