Westminster City Council has set out the steps it thinks necessary to mitigate the negative effects of pedestrianisation of Oxford Street west, in a letter sent this month to Transport for London (TfL).
Councillor Geoff Barraclough, cabinet member for planning and economic development, writes in response to the public consultation on the plans saying that Westminster Council’s preference is that pedestrianisation didn’t happen at all.
But the local authority recognises that “the decision has been taken” and “offers comments in the spirit of trying to make the scheme work for our residents and local businesses”.
Barraclough says in the letter that in order to achieve pedestrianisation, an “enhanced public realm” and “improved safety”, it will be essential for Westminster Council, TfL, the Oxford Street Development Corporation (OSDC) and the New West End Company (NWEC) business improvement district to work closely together.
In the letter he sets out 15 key points that TfL needs to address to offset the negative impact on local residents and people needing to travel through the area.
The cabinet member asks how traffic displacement from Oxford Street to residential areas will impact the quieter, neighbouring streets.
He asks TfL to detail how it will ensure air quality and noise levels are controlled with the expected traffic displacement, asking for a timetable to detail how buses will be upgraded to all electric.
The council also opposes the changes to bus routes 7 and 94 as they are “key routes used by Londoners to get to, and along, Oxford Street and currently provide direct access from Lancaster Gate, Bayswater and Hyde Park to Oxford Circus and Piccadilly”.
Barraclough says that running buses along Great Portland Street will mean that the junctions with Mortimer and Great Castle Streets “need attention to ensure pedestrian safety”.
As cycling will be forbidden at any time within the pedestrianised section of Oxford Street, Barraclough asks that TfL reconsider whether cycling should be permitted before 11am when the number of shoppers is at a minimum. The council wants TfL to produce an alternative East/West route which will be required during the hours that cycling is banned on Oxford Street.
Westminster wants to see better plans for waste collection, to ensure local businesses and residents are not negatively affected by vehicle access to Oxford Street.
“We would be keen to work with the [OSDC], NWEC, TfL and others to explore how the new constraints on waste collection access could be used to help encourage waste consolidation to reduce the number of vehicle movements for collection and multiple on-street refuse set-out practices,” writes Barraclough.
Pedestrianised areas require increased cleaning and waste collection, meaning that times for waste collection must be carefully considered alongside the limitations on daytime vehicle access. The council have therefore asked to see plans for street cleaning, including the times that this would be carried out.
Accessible public toilets including changing places “will be essential” and the council wants to see a “clear delivery plan with funding and cleansing arrangements agreed in partnership with landowners and NWEC”.
On the issue of public safety, the council emphasised this as one of the key points raised in their review of the pedestrianisation plans.
In order to manage the increased footfall expected on Oxford Street, TfL will be expected to work with Met Police, NWEC and council enforcement teams, particularly to prevent hostile vehicle attacks, anti-social behaviour, and unlicensed trading and street performance. The letter highlights that this must be enforced 24/7, rather than solely restricted to shopping hours.
Westminster Council have also highlighted that accessibility and inclusivity must be considered during the pedestrianisation of Oxford Street.
“The public realm design must ensure universal access, including compliant tactile paving, rotating cones, dropped kerbs and safe crossing phases,” states the letter.
The letter specifies that step-free access at Oxford Circus and Marble Arch Tube stations must be prioritised.
Barraclough signs off by stating that Westminster Council is committed to working with TfL “to deliver a scheme that enhances Oxford Street’s role as a world-class destination while safeguarding the needs of residents, businesses and visitors, and balancing local, national and Council priorities”.
Sir Sadiq Khan, Mayor of London, wants to see Oxford Street west pedestrianised between Orchard Street and Great Portland Street as early as the summer this year. The OSDC held its first board meeting earlier this month.
Additional reporting by Linus Rees.
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