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You’d have to have been dwelling beneath a boulder to have missed the news that Oxford Street is now a car-free zone. Nearly 1km of London’s busiest shopping street was pedestrianised in late October, and shoppers have been (literally) doing cartwheels to celebrate.
The shopping mecca’s traffic-free move has set off a domino effect across the Big Smoke. Hot on the heels of Oxford Street, Camden High Street has also announced plans to pedestrianise itself following an 18-month trial. The temporary barriers currently at each end of Camden Market’s home turf will be replaced with new permanent barriers early next year.
Now, another London landmark is being added to the list.
London Heritage Quarter, a collective representing the Business Improvement Districts of Victoria, Westminster, Whitehall and Northbank, first floated the Parliament Square Streetscape Project nearly a decade ago. Its ambitious plans set out a blueprint to reimagine the square next to the Houses of Parliament and the space around Whitehall and the Victoria Embankment, making the area more ‘people-friendly’.
Pedestrianisation plans have made slow progress since then, but a business case for the scheme is now scheduled to be put before MPs and peers before Christmas. Should things go ahead, public consultation is scheduled for early 2027.
The final layout has not been decided, but blueprints suggest that Abingdon Street north of Great College Street would be closed to vehicles. Buses are set to be blocked from the famous square, although there will be limited access for taxis and school coaches visiting the landmark. To accommodate the proposed layout, the one-way system on the western side of Parliament Square would need to be reversed to allow cars to travel in both directions.
As for when we’re likely to see a four-wheel-free Parliament Square, should plans go ahead, the partial pedestrianisation is set to finally come to fruition in 2031.
Did you see that plans to pedestrianise more parts of central London have been delayed?
Plus: the exact date that Kew Gardens Christmas lights will be turned on for 2026.
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