Oxford Street will go car-free for one day. We should pedestrianise central London all-year-round

Oxford Street is one of our busiest shopping destinations, but it is currently unsafe for people walking and wheeling.

Together with our London Living Streets Group, we have campaigned for Oxford Street to be pedestrianised for over a decade.

The plans to make this happen are great news for everyone who lives, works and visits Oxford Street, securing the street’s future as a world-class place to shop and spend time.

Oxford Street has an appalling road casualty record and illegal levels of air pollution, harming everyone living, working and visiting Oxford Street and the surrounding area.

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Pedestrianisation is the only credible answer to these threats. Redesigning the street around people – not vehicles – will ensure Oxford Street’s future as a world-class destination, making it safer, cleaner and helping it thrive economically.

The growth of out-of-town retail and online shopping has shifted the balance away from the high street. At the end of last year, British high streets had vacancy rates of nearly one in seven.

Living Streets’ Pedestrian Pound research shows that investing in the walking environment can help to reverse this decline. When streets are pedestrianised, businesses thrive because people slow down, they feel more comfortable being in that area, and are therefore more likely to spend time and money there.

It’s time for our town and city centres to be rediscovered as places where people get together, socialise and feel part of something. This is about more than just Oxford Street and London. It’s about people saying they want more from their streets than them just being corridors for traffic.

Cities across the world are realising that by encouraging more people to walk they can create a healthier, more equal society and more vibrant economies.

Our Pedestrian Pound research shows that shops in pedestrianised areas in 14 cities across Spain generated higher sales volumes compared to those in non-pedestrianised areas. And in Korea, the opening of the 6.3km (3.9 miles) long Gyeongui Line Forest Park in Seoul increased the attractiveness of the surrounding neighbourhoods, which saw total sales of adjacent local businesses increase as well, by 10-12% relative to businesses further away.

A little closer to home in London, a comparison of 10 streets across the capital found a reduction in retail vacancies of 17% across five streets that had received improvements focused on improving pedestrian accessibility, relative to the five streets that hadn’t had improvements.  

And in Shrewsbury, weekend pedestrianisation of key town centre roads during Covid-19 proved so popular with local businesses and shoppers that it has continued. A café culture has flourished, with its outdoor seating, music and public art bringing a new vibrancy to the town. Sales in the town rose on average by 14% and growth in the pedestrianised areas was 25 percentage points higher than in the non-pedestrianised areas.

As much as our Pedestrian Pound report shows that ‘pedestrians equal pounds’ and that footfall strengthens local economies, it also highlights the evidence that walkability improves the physical and mental wellbeing of residents and visitors.

The high street can be a lifeline for those who need social interaction, a place to visit, improve mental health and feel part of a community. Walking increases the opportunities for engaging with other people and there is a strong association between the walkability of an area and its sense of community. There is also evidence that improving green and blue spaces can boost social cohesion and a sense of belonging and pride.

So, what needs to change?

Firstly, Oxford Street needs to be walking and wheeling friendly. That means excluding motor traffic and ensuring access to buses and taxis a short distance away. The street needs to be accessible to all, regardless of age or ability, so changes need to happen in consultation with disabled people.

The problems pedestrians face are not confined to Oxford Street, so we need the pedestrianisation to become a catalyst for wider changes across the West End, so Oxford Street doesn’t feel like an island surrounded by hostile streets.

The role and future of high streets as shopping destinations has fundamentally changed but they are still destinations where people meet and gather. The car-free trial on Oxford Street will show what’s possible when we reimagine our streets as destinations for fun, culture and entertainment.

Tanya Braun is director of external affairs and fundraising at Living Streets.

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