London is trying out a pedestrian zone on Oxford Street

London, September 21 - London's famous Oxford Street is closed to cars this afternoon and is reserved for pedestrians only. This is a test of the future permanent transformation of the street into a pedestrian zone.

The closure of the street will last from 13:00 to 21:00 CEST. Visitors can expect live music concerts, food and drink stalls, as well as exhibitions on the history of Oxford Street and London City Hall's plans to transform the street into a pedestrian zone, the BBC wrote on its website.

The British capital's Labour mayor Sadiq Khan revived plans last year to ban traffic on part of this street known for its large number of shops. His previous attempt in 2018 was blocked by the Conservative-controlled local authorities. Khan claims that "urgent action" is needed to revitalize the area and that the new plans will bring "world class" to the city.

The announcement followed a public consultation which found two-thirds of people supported a traffic ban on the street, which is visited by an average of half a million people a day.

Today's event is intended to show how a pedestrian zone could work in practice. The council plans to make the permanent transformation from 2026.

It will also require the rerouting of bus routes that pass through Oxford Street. Some politicians and taxi drivers' representatives have expressed concerns that the area around Oxford Street will become "unusable in the long term" as a result of the closure, according to the BBC.

Czech press agency | WT.24