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London's Oxford Street Goes Traffic-Free From Oct. 26, Mayor Confirms Start Date
Mayor Sadiq Khan has confirmed nearly a kilometre of Oxford Street goes traffic-free from Oct. 26, 2026 — timed for Christmas shopping. Westminster Council warns of displaced traffic and unanswered questions.
Why it matters
Oxford Street is one of the world's most famous shopping streets, and turning nearly a kilometre of it car-free is the Mayor's £150-million flagship project. The start date — just before the crucial Christmas shopping season — is a major test of whether pedestrianisation boosts footfall or pushes traffic chaos onto surrounding streets.
Full report
A central stretch of London's Oxford Street will go entirely traffic-free from Monday, Oct. 26, 2026, the Mayor of London Sadiq Khan has confirmed. Buses, taxis and private-hire vehicles, private cars, and even bicycles, scooters and pedicabs will be banned from the roughly 0.9-kilometre zone between Orchard Street (near Selfridges) and Great Portland Street, which includes the busy Oxford Circus junction.
Only servicing vehicles between midnight and 7 a.m. and emergency vehicles at all times will be allowed through. Buses will be rerouted around the pedestrianised stretch. Khan said the move comes just in time for the busy Christmas shopping period, framing it as a boost for retailers: "For too long, Oxford Street has been a street that people endured rather than enjoyed," he called it "a landmark moment."
Westminster City Council has raised a "long list of unanswered questions," warning that traffic will be pushed onto small surrounding streets and raising concerns about access, air pollution, street cleaning and public safety. The Government rejected the council's September request for a full environmental impact assessment, allowing the £150-million scheme to proceed. TfL's own modelling forecasts up to three to five additional minutes for some westbound journeys on Wigmore Street in the morning peak.
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