Plans have been unveiled for anti-terror barriers to be used to prevent cyclists from travelling along Oxford Street as part of its planned pedestrianisation.
The Standard first reported the barrier decision, with London Mayor Sir Sadiq Khan previously saying that he didn’t want “buses, cars, minicabs, taxis or racing cyclists” to use the road, adding that the street’s redevelopment is “for people to walk around there” and that “there’d be alternatives if you want to go round”.
But the latest plans for “hostile vehicle mitigation” barriers are to both prevent vehicles driving illegally (and dangerously) through the planned “pedestrian plaza” and to “inhibit” anyone from cycling through the barriers.
Plans for Oxford Street’s pedestrianisation have been cautiously welcomed by campaigners in the capital, but largely on the condition of safe, alternative cycle routes being designed around the road. In 2024, the Mayor of London’s office told road.cc that they “will be working to provide alternative routes for cyclists, enhanced cycling provision, and potential cyclist access at night.”
> Cyclists to be banned from Oxford Street as part of Sadiq Khan’s pedestrianisation plans, but could be allowed to cycle at night
London’s Walking and Cycling Commissioner Will Norman also defended the planned cyclist ban, adding that the cycling experience “would be extremely unpleasant” on Oxford Street. However, the London Cycling Campaign described Transport for London’s proposed alternative cycle route as “weak and wiggly”.
The Standard’s latest reporting suggests there is still the possibility of cycle access at certain times, with the street set to re-open between midnight and 7am for delivery drivers. Further ‘pop-up’ bollards could also be used to adjust road access.
The £150 million pedestrianisation proposal will stretch from Orchard Street to Great Portland Street, cutting across Regent’s Street. Current plans are for the pedestrianisation to be completed by the end of the summer. Pedestrianisation has also been a long-held objective of the Mayor, with previous efforts blocked by both Westminster City Council and the UK Government. Both bodies are now Labour-led.
Whilst it is hoped that the pedestrianisation incentivises drivers to reduce their car dependency, the move has also had unintended consequences for other active travel developments and has been used as an excuse to protest against further cycle investment. In October, Conservative councillors for Marylebone wrote to Westminster Council calling for a planned new cycleway to be postponed until after the Oxford Street pedestrianisation is complete, saying that the extension would “ignore the needs of pensioners, disabled people and those who rely on local parking.”
> “Deeply depressing and frustrating”: London Tory councillors say extending £1.5 million cycle route to bypass pedestrianised Oxford Street would be “irresponsible”
The proposed ban on cyclists has also been criticised by former Walking and Cycling Commissioner Andrew Gilligan, who labelled Khan’s 2017 proposal “an unqualified disaster” due to “the lack of suitable parallel routes for safe infrastructure for bike riders means an Oxford Street cycling ban [that] would be ignored by many.”