For decades, the parade of red double-decker London buses and black taxis set the pace of Oxford Street. Since Monday October 26, they have disappeared from almost a kilometer of the artery, between Orchard Street, near Selfridges, and Great Portland Street, beyond Oxford Circus. However, several north-south crossings remain open to traffic, notably at Oxford Circus.
Buses, taxis, VTCs, bicycles, pedicabs and scooters were sent back to neighboring streets. Only emergency services maintain permanent access, and delivery men only venture there between midnight and 7 a.m. “It’s a memorable day for London, a memorable day for Oxford Street. It’s a new era,” greeted Mayor Sadiq Khan on the BBC on the opening day.
Twenty years of false starts
This liberated kilometer has come a long way. As early as 2004, Ken Livingstone, then mayor of London, planned to replace buses and taxis with a tram. Sadiq Khan included pedestrianization in his electoral program in 2016. But his project was rejected in 2018 by the Westminster city council, against a backdrop of opposition from local residents who feared seeing traffic jams migrate under their windows.
To break the deadlock, the mayor set up a dedicated public planning body, the Oxford Street Development Corporation (OSDC). Created on January 1, 2026, it regained, on August 10, the planning powers previously exercised by Westminster and Camden over the area concerned. A day without cars, September 21, 2025, had already given a foretaste of the transformation. According to a report published by the town hall, attendance had increased by 45% compared to the previous Sunday. The green light for the new traffic arrangements came on February 26, 2026.london.
However, the reluctance has not disappeared. Tim Barnes, deputy chief executive of Westminster City Council, denounces rushed preparations and worries about traffic being diverted to neighboring streets. The new bus routes and stops are organized around Wigmore Street, Henrietta Place and Cavendish Place. Taxi ranks have also been provided near the pedestrian zone.
A street to reinvent
For now, the vacated roadway remains far from the promised esplanade. The program provides for more than a hundred seats, tables and new lighting, as well as more than fifty trees and two public squares, by the end of spring 2027. The East agency is working on these developments with JL Gibbons, Gehl and Publica. This first phase should make it possible to observe uses and adjust the project based on feedback from passers-by, traders and associations.
The issue goes beyond the walk. Weakened by the pandemic and the rise of online commerce, Oxford Street has seen its windows empty and cheap candy and souvenir shops multiply. Sadiq Khan intends to turn the page on what he describes as “decades of decline”.
The street nonetheless remains a giant of London commerce, with around half a million visitors per day. Around its major brands, including Selfridges and John Lewis, the mayor aims to recreate a leading shopping destination. The disappearance of traffic should make walking there more pleasant, but also make you want to linger there again.
A Christmas in Hogwarts colors
The transformation comes in the run-up to the holidays, when Christmas lights and window displays draw crowds to the West End. This year, Oxford Street must add a touch of witchcraft to its traditional stars: designs inspired by Harry Potter are announced for the end of year decorations. The precise date of their lighting remains to be confirmed.
Another announced event: on November 4, the largest official Harry Potter store in the United Kingdom is due to open at 134-140 Oxford Street. Nearly 2000 m² spread over two levels will be devoted to the world of the sorcerer, in a decor inspired by Diagon Alley. Located to the east of the new pedestrian zone, the store is close to Tottenham Court Road station.
To discover the section now without buses or taxis, Bond Street and Oxford Circus stations allow you to get as close as possible. Sadiq Khan is already seeing further: his ambition remains to extend the pedestrianization of Marble Arch to Tottenham Court Road. But this first step does not prejudge the timetable for subsequent ones, which will require further consultations. In the meantime, the December crowds will give a first measure of the metamorphosis.
