A vice-president for hire bike company Voi has called for Oxford Street’s pedestrianisation to be followed by a “joined-up transport network” with safe, alternative cycling routes, amid controversy over people on bikes “recklessly” riding on the newly car-free London shopping street.
A half-mile stretch of the central London shopping street was closed to motorists and cyclists on Monday, bringing an end to over a decade of discussion and planning in the wake of protests calling for the road to be made safe following a spate of fatal collisions.
Oxford Street’s pedestrianisation, which London mayor Sadiq Khan is the first step towards transforming the area into a “pedestrian plaza”, have been cautiously welcomed by cycling 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”. London’s Walking and Cycling Commissioner Will Norman also defended the decision to ban cyclists from the street, arguing that the cycling experience “would be extremely unpleasant”.
However, the dawning of a new calm, safe car-free era on Oxford Street has been met by a slew of reports in the mainstream press of cyclists breaking the no-bike rules, while London motorists have complained of increased congestion on surrounding streets.
Any cyclists caught riding on Oxford Street – where anti-terror barriers are set to be installed to police the new pedestrian zone – could face a £160 fine, reduced to £80 if paid within eight days.
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Despite this financial deterrent, videos of cyclists ignoring the new rules have circulated on social media and in the press, inspiring headlines such as “Cyclists caught on camera” (the Evening Standard), “Cyclists defy Khan’s Oxford Street pedestrianisation” (the Telegraph), and “Cyclists ignore pedestrianisation of Oxford Street – could they face a penalty?” (the Metro).
On Friday, the Daily Mail reported on a video of what it branded a “peloton” of cyclists, mostly teenagers and children, “blatantly disregarding” the no cycle signs while “recklessly weaving through bewildered shoppers”, allegedly turning the street into a “highway”.
In one of the clips, a security guard can be seen with his arms folded at one of the barriers, as a passing cyclist laughs: “He’s given up.”
Speaking to the Mail, Tim Barnes, a Westminster City Councillor for Growth and Planning, criticised the complications brought on by the pedestrianisation, claiming that “it’s only a matter of time” before collisions between cyclists and pedestrians become common.
“We have been concerned from the outset that taking London’s main east-west road and pushing it to the smaller side roads behind was always going to inevitably lead to traffic problems,” the Conservative councillor said.
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“You just can’t take that much traffic out of central London and push it on to roads that are smaller, less well suited to taking big vehicles, and not expect it to cause problems.
“Last night there were all sorts of complications. There was traffic on Regent Street that was backed up, and indeed it stopped for so long at times that we even saw a big waste truck having to turn around and go the wrong way [up the street].
“And if you look at Wigmore Street, there are points where buses now have to make very, very hard right-hand turns or 90-degree turns, which I think will be a problem for pedestrians and cyclists.
“I also think it’s only a matter of time until we see more incidents with cyclists hitting pedestrians on Oxford Street itself.”
> Westminster starts removing hire e-bikes from central London streets on safety grounds
However, Westminster City Council – which has responsibility for local cycling infrastructure – has come in for criticism itself from campaigners and stakeholders, who believe not enough has been done to make the roads around Oxford Street safer.
In a statement, the London Cycling Campaign said it is “supportive of the new pedestrianised Oxford Street”.
“We welcome the move to reclaim West End space from motor vehicles and make the nation’s iconic high street far better. And it shouldn’t stop here, making the whole of the West End low traffic should be the ultimate goal,” the group, who previously criticised Transport for London’s proposed alternative cycle route as “weak and wiggly”, said.
“However, this issue brings to light the fact that Westminster Council have not acted quickly enough to bring in high-quality parallel cycle routes. Traffic counts show that thousands of people had been cycling along Oxford Street daily, and those riders need safe alternative routes urgently.”
Likewise, a vice president at micromobility hire company Voi has also called for better active travel infrastructure around Oxford Street.
“Anything that gets people out of cars and encourages active, sustainable travel is a win,” Christina Moe Gjerde, Voi’s Northern Europe vice-president, said this week.
“With Oxford Street now pedestrianised, the focus should be on making it work as part of a joined-up transport network, where walking, public transport, cycling and shared micromobility complement one another.
“London is now a cycling city, so safe alternative cycling routes are essential to keep people moving across the capital while protecting pedestrianised spaces.”
Gerde also noted that, like its competitors such as Lime, Voi will enforce its ‘geofencing’ technology on Oxford Street’s pedestrian zone, cutting off the electrical assistance to its dockless bikes when they enter the no-cycling zone.
