Oxford Street traffic ban: disability campaigners say new layout shuts out wheelchair users

Less than a week after traffic was banned from part of Oxford Street, disability campaigners say the new layout is shutting out wheelchair users and blind and partially sighted people. Transport for London says the first phase is temporary and will be improved.

What has changed on Oxford Street

A section of London’s busiest shopping street closed completely to traffic on Monday 26 October, part of Mayor Sadiq Khan’s plan to transform the West End before Christmas. Barriers and bollards now stop vehicles entering the pedestrianised stretch.

The complaints

• Barrier gaps: some bollards were too close together for a standard 67cm wheelchair. After being widened they were reported to still be 20cm short of what government guidance requires, which allows gaps of up to 120cm to stop hostile vehicles
• Uneven spacing: gaps that are not uniform are hard for visually impaired people to navigate
• Ramps: vehicle prevention units and ramps were described as “very, very painful” to cross
• Crossings and cyclists: campaigners say removing crossing points is dangerous for blind people while cyclists keep riding through
• Getting there: without direct buses and with black cabs rerouted, some disabled shoppers say they can no longer easily reach the shops

Former TV presenter Mik Scarlet, who has used a wheelchair since he was 15, called the barrier design “inactive discrimination” and said the street was “shockingly bad” on his first visit. Conservative Westminster councillors Tim Barnes and Paul Swaddle said they had raised access concerns “on numerous occasions” but were overruled.

What TfL says

Transport for London said the plans were drawn up with input from disabled people’s organisations and “designed in line with all relevant national guidance”. It said the first phase is temporary, that feedback will shape permanent improvements, and that future changes “must consider accessibility”. The Mayor’s office declined to comment.

Sources: The Telegraph via Yahoo News, Transport for London.

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