Oxford Street goes traffic-free as Sadiq Khan launches pedestrianisation

Oxford Street has become permanently traffic-free for the first time as London mayor Sadiq Khan presses ahead with a major overhaul of the capital’s busiest shopping district ahead of Christmas. Almost a kilometre of the famous shopping street, between Orchard Street near Selfridges and Great Portland Street, has closed to vehicles from Monday, ending decades of failed attempts to pedestrianise the West End thoroughfare. Buses, taxis, private hire vehicles, cyclists and scooters will now be diverted onto surrounding roads, while deliveries will be restricted to overnight hours between midnight and 7am. The move marks the first phase of a wider regeneration project aimed at reviving Oxford Street, which generates around £3.1bn in annual spending but has struggled with changing shopping habits, empty storefronts and the proliferation of American-style sweet shops. Khan described the closure as a truly momentous occasion for the capital , arguing that removing traffic would h