Part of Oxford Street will be closed to traffic from 26 October, the Mayor of London has announced, BBC News has reported. Buses, taxis, bikes and other vehicles will be banned from the stretch of almost a kilometre between Orchard Street and Great Portland Street.
Westminster City Council has warned that there is still a long list of unanswered questions about how the scheme will work, and has raised concerns that traffic will be pushed on to smaller neighbouring streets.
Cllr Tim Barnes, Deputy Leader of Westminster City Council and Cabinet Member for Growth and Planning, said:
"While we finally now have a timetable for the proposed pedestrianisation, Westminster City Council, residents and businesses on Oxford Street still have a long list of unanswered questions about how it will work.
"If this is going to be the 'greener, better and more prosperous' success that the Mayor has promised, then issues around access, air pollution, street cleaning and public safety, need answers urgently."
He added:
"Right now there's a danger that we will have all of the downsides and too little upside. Traffic will be pushed to the small streets nearby causing economic and environmental harm. We are writing to the Oxford Street Development Corporation with our serious concerns now it is obvious the Mayor is rushing preparations with little time left."
The Mayor said the closure would begin "just in time for the busy Christmas shopping period," and described plans for a "pedestrian plaza" hosting retail, leisure and cultural events.
