'Radical' new driving laws in UK mean drivers will be 'banned' from street

'Radical' new driving laws in UK mean drivers will be 'banned' from street
-Credit: (Image: Reach Publishing Services Limited)


New "no go" areas for drivers, road users and motorists in London have been touted under Labour Party Mayor Sadiq Khan. Plans to pedestrianise parts of London's Oxford Street have been announced by the mayor, Mr Khan.

The London mayor has big plans for the famous shopping street. “We want this street to overperform … We want a public realm that is world class, green, healthy and safe – but also increases footfall in the shops," he commented last week.

In a letter to Khan and Angela Rayner – the secretary of state who could grant the mayor sweeping powers to override objections – the Westminster City council leader, Adam Hug, listed 10 concerns with the pedestrianisation plan.

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Matthew Carmona, the professor of planning and urban design at the Bartlett School of Planning at UCL, said: “The research evidence shows that pedestrianisation schemes lead to significant benefits to retail.”

However, he warned: “Every circumstance is different and I know of no similar schemes to Oxford Street which is both a major shopping street, one of London’s most significant bus highways, and is surrounded on both sides by some of London’s most affluent neighbourhoods.”

“Personally I agree that we need a radical plan for Oxford Street, and as the nation’s high street we need to consider more than just the views of local residents when deciding what to do,” he said. Steve Millington, the professor of place management at Manchester Metropolitan University, has also given a view.

“Not all pedestrianisation schemes work,” Millington said. “Everyone can recall a precinct that is windswept and empty. But, particularly in big cities such as Barcelona, Bangkok, Toronto and across Germany, overwhelmingly academic studies show that, if you plan and do it right with consultation, it increases footfall, sales and increases or maintains the value of [buildings] and reduces vacancy rates.”