Cars forbidden to drive through the iconic Oxford Street in London

Today, Oxford Street is temporarily become a car -free zone in an experiment that can be made permanently.

Plans are underway to prohibit vehicles in the iconic shopping street in London as part of a long -awaited £ 150 million pedestrians.

Today’s experiment will give people a taste of it, because the Hoofdstraat stands in line with stalls, music and food.

The prohibition, which also includes bicycles, takes place between Orchard Street and Oxford Circus from the afternoon until 8 p.m. while the event takes place.

In a statement on the website of the event it said: “For an extraordinary day, the most iconic main street of London will be traffic -free.”

It added that visitors to the event “The lively Spirit of Oxford Street will discover through poetry, stories, music and hands-on creativity.”

The proposal for pedestrians, unveiled in February, will renew the High Street in a European style promenade to restore it to its ‘former glory’ after an exodus of stores.

London Mayor, Sadiq Khan, said that he wants to ban traffic on the street as quickly as possible, but the plan still has to jump through official hoops to get the planning and approval from the government.

However, not everyone was completely on board with the plan when Metro spoke with shoppers earlier.

And Khan’s earlier plans to ban cars from the street were blocked by the then conservative local authority in 2018.

That did nothing to scare the mayor.

Where Oxford Street comes close to traffic today

He announced the experiment earlier this year and said: ‘I am delighted to announce our monumental’ This is Oxford Street ‘event that will take place in September and Londoners, visitors and companies are glimping how the main street of the country could look like in the future.

‘This is a fantastic opportunity to see Oxford Street in a completely new light, traffic-free, full of music, good food, pop-ups and entertainment for everyone. As a mayor I am determined to unlock the true potential of Oxford Street and to deliver an accessible, clean road from world class.

‘So add the date to your diary, it will be a fantastic day out if we again introduce the West End for everyone. This is Oxford Street – lively, flourishing and again on the map. ‘

The plans to breathe new life into Oxford Street will help the West End and Footlyfall stimulate, Karim Fatehi from the London Chamber of Commerce and Industry Says

He said: “We welcome the dedication to collaborate with local companies and residents to meet logistical challenges and to ensure that the economic benefits are shared by everyone.”

What will Oxford Street look like in the future?

The exact designs for the street will be set up and will be consulted later this year.

If everything goes according to plan, Oxford Street is converted into a traffic -free area for people, events and activities permanently.

All traffic, including buses and bicycles, are prohibited between Orchard Street, via Oxford Circus and to Great Portland Street under the proposal.

When the Town Hall asked about 6,600 Londoners this year what they thought of the plan, two -thirds said they supported the idea.

The majority of companies in the area, such as IKEA, John Lewis, Selfridges and New West End Company, have thrown their weight behind the plan.

Meave Hall, the executive director of Selfridges, said: “Selfridges has been in Oxford Street for more than 100 years and we are enormously energetic because of the renewed dedication to make this area more attractive and attractive for the local population and visitors from all over the world.”

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