Oxford Street in London closed to traffic: the street became pedestrianised on 26 October

Street closed to traffic

London's most famous shopping street — Oxford Street — has been closed to cars, buses and bicycles since 26 October. Almost a kilometre of the street between Orchard Street and Great Portland Street is now completely free of traffic, and vehicles have been redirected to neighbouring roads. Euronews reports this, citing city authorities.

What has been done and what lies ahead

Pedestrianisation is the first step in a large-scale renewal of the shopping district: the plans include planting trees, installing seating and creating two new public squares. According to London Mayor Sadiq Khan, this work will begin in the new year, and the plans will be refined based on visitor feedback. Thus, at this point only the closure of the street to traffic has been adopted and implemented — the landscaping remains a plan. 'This is a landmark day for London, a landmark day for Oxford Street. A new era is beginning,' Khan said on BBC air. City authorities expect the street to return to the ranks of the world's leading shopping destinations — on par with Times Square, the Champs-Élysées and La Rambla. Oxford Street receives about half a million visitors daily, who shop at Selfridges, Zara, John Lewis and other stores.

Why the project moved slowly

Local authorities discussed the idea of pedestrianisation more than ten years ago, but the project gained real momentum over the past two years, when the mayor's office created the Oxford Street Development Corporation. This helped overcome resistance from local residents who complained that redirecting traffic would cause congestion in their neighbourhoods. Public consultations showed that removing traffic would attract new shops and visitors. An additional stimulus was the Elizabeth Line, which runs through the city centre with a station on Oxford Street.

Christmas lights in the style of 'Harry Potter'

The tradition of Christmas illuminations on Oxford Street dates back to 1959; in previous years the street was lit by 5,000 glowing stars based on 300,000 LED bulbs. According to the street's official website, this year the lights will be designed in the style of 'Harry Potter' — to mark the opening of the largest official Harry Potter shop in the UK and the release of a new HBO series, which Euronews calls controversial. The mayor linked the opening of the pedestrian zone to the festive season: 'By Christmas, I want people to come here, shop and enjoy the experience.'