London’s Oxford Street bans traffic as city tries to revitalize once grand shopping district

LONDON (AP) — London’s Oxford Street will be closed to cars, buses and bicycles starting Monday as authorities seek to revive the city’s main shopping street, where the proliferation of souvenir shops and candy sellers has dimmed the allure of what was once the heart of British consumer culture.

From now on, nearly a kilometer (mile) of Oxford Street between Orchard Street and Great Portland Street will be traffic-free, with vehicles diverted onto surrounding roads. The move is the first step in a makeover of the storied shopping precinct, with plans to plant trees, install seating and add two new public squares.

Oxford Street still sees about half a million visitors a day, with shoppers bustling between retailers such as Selfridges, Zara and John Lewis.

But city officials say pedestrianizing the street will put it back into the league of top global shopping destinations like Times Square, the Champs-Élysées and La Rambla.

“This is a momentous day for London, a momentous day for Oxford Street,’’ London Mayor Sadiq Khan told the BBC. “It’s a new era.’’

While local officials began discussing the idea of pedestrianizing Oxford Street more than a decade ago, momentum began to build over the last two years when the mayor’s office created the Oxford Street Development Corporation to shepherd the project. That helped overcome opposition from local residents who complained that diverting vehicles from Oxford Street would clog their neighborhoods with traffic.

A public consultation later determined that removing traffic would attract new shops and visitors to Oxford Street, making it “an iconic destination.”

The project also got a boost from the new Elizabeth train line, which runs through the heart of the city, with a stop on Oxford Street.

“There has been talk of pedestrianizing Oxford Street for decades,’’ Khan said. “After so many false dawns and now working with a government who share the scale of my ambition, I’m proud that we’re finally unlocking a new era for the street.”