Bicycle and rider as an art form, Osaka, originally uploaded by Sexify Bicycles.

Copenhagen has Strøget, Zurich has Bahnhofstrasse, Barcelona has the Ramblas and Milan has Corso Vittorio Emanuele; all pleasant shopping streets, traffic free. London has Oxford Street, a national disgrace where pedestrians are harassed by taxi and bus drivers.

These past few evenings, we have had the pleasure of experiencing what Oxford Street could be, as the Christmas lights are erected and the street is closed to motor traffic.

In one word: peaceful.

Why doesn’t this City have the courage to say to lazy people: “The safety and comfort of active people is more important than those who are transported by an engine. Oxford street is for walking and talking (and possibly gentle, considerate cycling). No more buses, no more taxis.”?

For the record, these are some of the criticism that Jan Gehl directed towards Oxford Street:

• Noise levels, which reach more than 70 decibels during the day and ‘give hardly any possibilities for engaging in conversation’.
• Extensive use of guard railings in Regent Street
• Lack of public seating
• Difficulty of crossing
• Cluttering of the streetscape (with signs, poles and bus shelters for example).

All the above would disappear if buses and taxis were banned.