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LONDON — As of April 26, 2026, the long-running debate over London’s most famous shopping street has reached its execution phase. The first pedestrianised section of Oxford Street will open on Monday, October 26, 2026, when vehicles and bicycles are removed from roughly one kilometre of the route between Selfridges and Oxford Circus.
The closure ends more than six decades of proposals, abandoned schemes and political deadlock. Under the current plan, the street will not simply be stripped of cars; the project creates a Mayoral Development Area with the Oxford Street Development Corporation in charge. That governance change is the main reason this attempt is expected to survive where earlier versions failed.
The traffic-free section runs from Orchard Street, close to Selfridges and Marble Arch, to Great Portland Street, just east of Oxford Circus. That means the heart of the West End shopping district, including the immediate area around Oxford Circus, will be reserved for pedestrians.
Work on kerbs, signage and temporary barriers has been under way for weeks. Buses will stop using the affected section from the evening of Sunday, October 25. From the following morning, private cars, taxis, private-hire vehicles, buses, coaches, bicycles, scooters and pedicabs will all be banned from travelling along the pedestrianised stretch.
However, “traffic-free” does not mean “empty of vehicles”. Emergency services will have unrestricted access around the clock. Utility workers will be allowed in for essential maintenance. Deliveries to shops and businesses will be permitted during designated overnight hours. Mobility scooters will also be allowed to use the street, in line with existing disability-access rules.
Although Oxford Street itself becomes pedestrian-only, most of the north-south roads that cross it will remain usable. Vehicles will still be able to turn across the pedestrianised zone at signal-controlled junctions, meaning drivers can move between Mayfair, Marylebone and Fitzrovia without long diversions.
The following junctions are expected to remain open, short-term closures for construction excepted:
Roadside signs will confirm which crossing points are live on any given day, particularly during the first month when finishing works may force temporary adjustments.
A significant chunk of London’s bus network will be affected. Routes that currently run along Oxford Street will be diverted onto parallel streets such as Wigmore Street, Henrietta Place and Cavendish Place. Those roads are already being upgraded to handle higher bus volumes.
TfL’s guidance says replacement stops will generally sit within about 200 metres of the pedestrianised zone. People who use Oxford Street buses are being advised to check the TfL Go app or the journey planner before leaving home, especially after the evening of October 25.
Tube and rail services remain unchanged. Bond Street, Oxford Circus, Tottenham Court Road and, further east, Holborn stations will continue to operate normally, making it easy to travel into the area without relying on buses.
Riding a bicycle along the pedestrianised section will be forbidden. This applies to regular bikes, e-bikes and scooters. Cyclists will be directed onto surrounding roads, including Oxford Street’s eastern section towards Tottenham Court Road.
Some active-travel campaigners have criticised the decision, arguing it treats cyclists in the same way as motor traffic instead of encouraging low-emission travel. The Mayor’s office has replied that the priority is a genuinely pedestrian-first environment, not simply a car-free carriageway. No dedicated replacement cycle lane has been confirmed for nearby roads as of this month.
The previous serious effort to pedestrianise Oxford Street collapsed in 2017 when Westminster City Council withdrew its support during public consultation. This time, the legal and institutional structure has been changed.
The Greater London Authority now oversees the project through the Oxford Street Development Corporation, which holds planning powers for the area. That means a future council decision cannot easily stop the scheme. Westminster still has concerns about displaced traffic and air quality on surrounding streets, but its role has shifted to formal consultation rather than final veto.
A public consultation in early 2025 recorded 66% support for the principle of a traffic-free Oxford Street. The mayor’s formal traffic order was approved on February 26, 2026, clearing the way for the October start.
The October closure is best understood as a trial. During the first few months, the concrete barriers and temporary planters will look modest. That is deliberate: the Corporation wants to test pedestrian flows during the busiest shopping season of the year before committing to permanent design.
More visible changes are expected in 2027. Temporary seating, planting, pocket plazas and loading-bay adjustments will be added gradually. Data on footfall, dwell time and accessibility complaints will then inform a permanent redesign, with major construction unlikely to begin before 2028.
Visitors heading to the West End this autumn should allow extra time for the first week. Oxford Street will still be crowded, especially around the Christmas lights period, but it will no longer be noisy or polluted in the way it has been for decades. For a street that has hosted traffic since the early twentieth century, October 26 marks one of the most significant changes in its modern history.
