Sadiq Khan plans Oxford street pedestrianisation, bans cyclists

Sadiq Khan plans Oxford street pedestrianisation, bans cyclists
Credit: Justin Kase zsixz/Alamy

London (Parliament Politics Magazine) – Cyclists will be prohibited from riding through the pedestrianized area of Oxford Street under Sadiq Khan’s plans to restrict traffic from the thoroughfare.

The mayor Sadiq Khan announced that he had secured Government backing to re-boot seven-year-old techniques to make the “nation’s most famous high street” traffic-free, beginning with the stretch between Oxford Circus and Selfridges.

How does Sadiq Khan plan to transform Oxford Street?

He said that cyclists would be included in the regulations, which will also release buses, cars, taxis, and delivery vehicles and give priority to pedestrians. Mr Khan stated: “I’m quite clear: in that part of the street we pedestrianize, I want it to be for people to walk around. There will be places to lock up your bike. There will be alternative [routes], in terms of getting from one side of Oxford Street to the other. I want buses off Oxford Street in this part we pedestrianize, [and] cars, minicabs, taxis, racing cyclists. What I do want is pedestrians walking around and going to the shops.”

He said: “This will be a world-class public space in which we can curate leisure events and cultural events to encourage people to come here.”

What does Jeremy Vine say about the Oxford Street changes?

Jeremy Vine, the broadcaster and renowned cycling campaigner, backed the mayor’s recommendations. He said: “I don’t have a problem with this at all. The centre of London will be way gentler with an all-pedestrian Oxford Street. It will also calm Marble Arch down, and continue the improvement of Park Lane that began when [Transport for London] put in the cycle lane. The fewer cars in central London, the safer it is to cycle.”

What are the concerns of the London cycling campaign?

The decision to control cyclists riding the length of the street will stack pressure on the mayor and Westminster council to provide a safe alternative east-west route. At present, cyclists are urged to travel via New Cavendish Street westbound and Weymouth Street eastbound but neither route is shielded. Westminster Cycling Campaign expressed there was a need for “several” parallel cycle routes, while its parent organisation, the London Cycling Campaign, has called for the entire West End to be made “car-free”.

Daniele Naddei

Daniele Naddei is a journalist at Parliament News covering European affairs, was born in Naples on April 8, 1991. He also serves as the Director of the CentroSud24 newspaper. During the period from 2010 to 2013, Naddei completed an internship at the esteemed local radio station Radio Club 91. Subsequently, he became the author of a weekly magazine published by the Italian Volleyball Federation of Campania (FIPAV Campania), which led to his registration in the professional order of Journalists of Campania in early 2014, listed under publicists. From 2013 to 2018, he worked as a freelance photojournalist and cameraman for external services for Rai and various local entities, including TeleCapri, CapriEvent, and TLA. Additionally, between 2014 and 2017, Naddei collaborated full-time with various newspapers in Campania, both in print and online. During this period, he also resumed his role as Editor-in-Chief at Radio Club 91.
Naddei is actively involved as a press officer for several companies and is responsible for editing cultural and social events in the city through his association with the Medea Fattoria Sociale. This experience continued until 2021. Throughout these years, he hosted or collaborated on football sports programs for various local broadcasters, including TLA, TvLuna, TeleCapri, Radio Stonata, Radio Amore, and Radio Antenna Uno.
From 2016 to 2018, Naddei was employed as an editor at newspapers of national interest within the Il24.it circuit, including Internazionale24, Salute24, and OggiScuola. Since 2019, Naddei has been one of the creators of the Rabona television program "Calcio è Passione," which has been broadcast on TeleCapri Sport since 2023.