please empty your brain below
I’m sure Trump would not like it. The mayor closing roads to stop people exercising their inalienable rights to drive freely when and where they like. It will be sharia law next.

There are plenty of examples of parts of town centres and squares and high streets that have been pedestrianised. Are there good examples of some that have been de-pedestrianised - closed to vehicular traffic, and later reopened?

Andrew | 24.09.25 - 8:03 a.m. | #

The banners are down. The Christmas lights are up. Quick work. ( same stars as last few years unfortunately)

Matt Clark | 24.09.25 - 8:29 a.m. | #

This page suggests the Mayoral Development Corporation doesn't go live until 1 January 2026.

Man of Kent | 24.09.25 - 8:49 a.m. | #

The Oxford Street shops can’t have been too pleased with all the street clutter obscuring their windows and blocking the pavements. Let’s hope if ‘pedestrianisation’ ever comes it will be just that, providing more circulating space and not more street stalls and al fresco eating places.

I like the buses, and if they’re electric, they don’t cause much harm and provide a more useful service than if they’re diverted round the back streets or terminate at each end.

And whatever happened to plans for an elevated walkway above the traffic, or the mile long travelator?!

ActonMan | 24.09.25 - 9:22 a.m. | #

This is also about hostile vehicle mitigation - where Oxford Street is notably exposed at the moment, and where time is of the essence. Most of the other high risk high-crowd areas were adapted long ago (Leicester & Trafalgar Squares, Westminster bridge, Borough Market, Covent Garden, most of the big stations) or had it designed in from the start (Battersea, Kings Cross). It's just not safe to combine vehicle access & large crowds any more.

David | 24.09.25 - 1:33 p.m. | #

I'm glad I didn't go.

And the proposals don't inspire me to want to go in the future. If I need that sort of shop I will go to Brent Cross or a Westfield instead, or just order online.

I foresee during less busy parts of the day the wide-open pedestrian spaces will become a paradise for wheel-borne snatchers of phones, bags etc; this is less of an issue currently due to pavement crowds, curbing etc. And reduced access to drop persons of restricted mobility close to the available doors is also an issue.

The Westminster proposals were better, quashed through a desire to not cause dissent within the governing parties (Labour all round).

MilesT | 24.09.25 - 4:02 p.m. | #

Oxford Street has been shut to traffic on a number of past occasions, attracting substantial visitor numbers. A more pleasant environment helps to attract more visitors and hopefully lead to the demise of the candy stores et al to be replaced by a decent retail offer.

gruntbuggly | 24.09.25 - 5:19 p.m. | #

It is possible to attract too many visitors to a closed Oxford Street.

I vividly remember shoulder to shoulder crowds flocking to see the artistic light installations some years ago, unpleasantly crowded especially for small children that are too big to be carried on shoulders.

MilesT | 25.09.25 - 9:27 a.m. | #

Andrew, the biggest example of de-pedestrianisation must have been the centre of Belfast.

Vehicular traffic was banned from the main shopping and entertainment areas at some point in the mid 1970s, with army bag search checkpoints for pedestrians set up at the same time.

Buses were allowed back in the late 80s, and bag searches ended a few years later. Full de-pedestrianisation happened around 2000. Now they're slowly re-pedestrianising chunks of it...

Let's hope London never needs to follow a similar path!

rory | 25.09.25 - 9:31 a.m. | #











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