Oxford Street – and its traffic – will make or break Sadiq Khan’s mayoralty | Christian Wolmar
Westminster council has blocked plans for pedestrianisation. The mayor must fight back to safeguard London’s future
Westminster city council’s decision to block the pedestrianisation of Oxford Street threatens to undermine Sadiq Khan’s hopes of a legacy that will be remembered for decades. Khan is now facing the biggest test of his mayoralty. If he allows the scheme to fall by the wayside, his tenure will be seen as a failure and London will be left with a shabby, polluted street as its once-famous commercial centre.
The pedestrianisation of Oxford Street, which Khan adopted as his policy after I suggested it at one of the hustings during the mayoral candidate selection process, is key to its future. With online shopping causing daily casualties of well-known high-street retail names, is it any wonder that fewer people want to brave the fume-filled narrow stretches of pavement when 50% of the street’s space is given over to empty buses and taxis? There have been four deaths and numerous serious injuries caused by motorised traffic on the road in the two years since Khan took over. This carnage should not be allowed to continue.
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Source: Guardian Transport
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