Pedestrians on Oxford street are reduced to shuffling along overcrowded pavements, while hundreds of buses an hour inch forward at an average of 4mph, according to a new report from the London Assembly Transport Committee.
The report, ‘Streets ahead: Relieving congestion on Oxford Street, Regent Street and Bond Street’, notes that despite its phenomenal popularity with shoppers, the area continues to be divided by a "slow-moving procession of buses and taxis". On average the area suffers an accident involving a bus every 3.4 days - and air quality in the area, already the worst in London, is on track to be the worst in the UK by 2015
At the heart of the problem is the conflict between the need to provide a pleasant shopping and leisure environment, and meeting the demand for transport links through the West End. And various schemes to reduce traffic congestion and improve the pedestrian experience in one of the world’s premier shopping destinations may not be enough, says the report, calling for more radical thinking.
The report urges the Mayor to tackle the challenges in the Oxford Street area head-on. He should lead on working with the Government, TfL, local authorities and other stakeholders to improve the air quality and reduce traffic congestion in the area.
The Mayor should work together with Transport for London (TfL) and Westminster Council to assess the feasibility of re-routing buses to reduce the number that travel through the area, should current plans prove inadequate. Longer-term solutions like providing a shuttle bus along the length of Oxford Street, or pedestrianising the area between Oxford Circus and Bond Street should also be properly assessed. The report also calls on TfL to undertake a comprehensive review of the transport provision in the area as a whole, including the impact of Crossrail and the potential for flexible ticketing arrangements where bus services change.
The report recognises initiatives led by TfL, Westminster Council and the New West End Company through their joint ‘ORB’ plan, which includes making changes to the streetscape, and the new diagonal crossing at Oxford Circus, and also encourages the Mayor to incorporate the area around Oxford Street, Regent Street and Bond Street into his ‘Great Spaces’ programme, a major scheme to revamp and revitalise public spaces and make them a more attractive place to live, work and visit.
Commenting on the report, Lib Dem assembly member Caroline Pidgeon, who chairs the Transport Committee, said:
"Lib Dems have called for many years for a shuttle bus and pedestrianisation on Oxford Street. I hope the Mayor will seriously consider these options in the future. I also welcome the report supporting our One Hour Bus Ticket campaign."