Oxford Street to Close to Traffic in London Pedestrian Push

London's Oxford Street, long regarded as Europe's busiest shopping strip, will be partially closed to all motorized vehicles beginning Monday, October 26, in a sweeping pedestrianization move that Mayor Sadiq Khan announced earlier this year. The ban covers roughly half of the street's 1.2-mile length and applies to cars, lorries, vans, taxis, buses, bicycles, e-bikes and scooters — with exceptions only for emergency vehicles.

The move ends what observers describe as several decades of contentious debate over the future of the thoroughfare, which has long drawn criticism for its pollution levels, congestion and generally uninviting atmosphere. City planners and local advocates hope the transformation will convert a corridor many Londoners consider unpleasant into a destination people genuinely choose to visit and linger in.

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Urban analysts are already drawing comparisons to the 2003 redesign of Trafalgar Square, when a previously traffic-choked roundabout was remade into one of central London's most recognizable public spaces. That project is widely seen as a turning point for how the city manages its most prominent real estate, and Oxford Street's closure is shaping up to be an equally consequential shift in London's streetscape.

For Khan, the project carries personal and political weight. The mayor, who chronicled his experience with asthma in a memoir and manifesto titled *Breathe*, has framed pedestrianization as central to his broader public-health agenda — one built around reducing vehicle emissions, expanding walkable zones and encouraging cycling. Whether or not Khan seeks a fourth term in 2028, the Oxford Street overhaul is expected to stand as the defining physical legacy of his tenure at City Hall.

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