London (Parliament Politics Magazine) – Times Square in New York could be the motivation for the pedestrianisation of Oxford Street, according to Mayor Sadiq Khan.
The London mayor visited the tourist web in Manhattan during a four-day visit to the Big Apple.
Since 2009, Times Square has been changed by creating a series of pedestrian blocks and removing car access. Despite initial troubles, and Donald Trump declaring the changes “awful”, Times Square is reportedly now considered an “unmitigated success”.
Mr Khan reported two weeks ago that he had secured Government approval to rekindle a 2017 plan to make Oxford Street traffic-free, starting with the western end of the route between Oxford Circus and Selfridges. However, major crises have been raised by Westminster Council, which supervises Oxford Street, and numerous residents’ associations.
How is Times Square influencing Oxford Street’s future?
Mr Khan, on his fourth official visit to the US in eight years, toured Times Square with retired New York transport commissioner, Janette Sadik-Khan. She was the ambitious force behind the Times Square project under former New York mayor Michael Bloomberg. She informed Mr Khan how it had doubled the quantity of pedestrian space and led to improvements in public safety, air quality, and economic output.
Built in 2017, the project carved out 2.5 acres of pedestrian-only space and converted a notoriously congested intersection into a world-class civic space. The profession at Times Square started after an increase in road crashes. The changes involved closing Broadway to vehicles and building six latest pedestrian plazas between 42nd and 47th Streets that include long granite bars.
What does Mayor Khan envision for Oxford Street?
Mr Khan stated: “I am delighted to see Times Square to see how the incredible regeneration here can motivate our plans for Oxford Street. We have a once-in-a-generation opportunity to change Oxford Street to deliver a safer, greener part of the capital that creates new jobs and promotes growth for London and other parts of the UK. If we can reproduce some of the aspects of Times Square on Oxford Street, I am sure we can make a high street destination that will be the jealousy of the world once again.”