To think, get rid of the driving restrictions, make parking easier and watch Oxford Street flourish 🤷‍♀️

Stupid idea. It would take forever to drive there and however many parking spaces there were, they'd be constantly full with people waiting for others to leave.

What? I live in the outskirts (zone 6) and absolutely would not want to drive to Oxford Street. Quicker to take the train and much less stressful. We used to live more centrally and most people didn't own cars, or (like us) used them to go out of London rather than more into London.

I'm with the PP who said I'd rather pedestrianise it, than add more cars!

The reasons I don't go to Oxford Street are - it's too busy, too noisy, i prefer my own local high street / shopping centre. And yes, nowadays I can shop online too.
What might tempt me to go - taking my preteen daughter as an experience (and having it pedestrianised would be a bonus for that), or a particular event on.

Oxford Street has been dying since the large department stores started to go out of business Debenhams, House of Fraser, BHS, Top Shop all disappeared years ago.

People shopping in London now are either the super rich who prefer Bond Street and Knightsbridge or those looking for something quirky and original in Soho or Covent Garden.

It's not parking that keeps me from Oxford Street. It's the blandness of the remaining retailers.

That was hilarious, what an idiot! I wonder what he thinks about Boris nowadays?

I lived in SW London and I would genuinely rather have gauged my eyes out than driven into Oxford street. These days as well as parking you’d also have to abandon the congestion charge. And if you did the traffic would be even worse than it is now, no way would it encourage me to visit.

The things that do make me go to a physical shop are (a) my daughter who likes looking in shops (and I humour her), (b) wanting to see a big purchase like a sofa in real life, and (c) getting my refillable shampoo and conditioner things filled up (on Oxford Street). Otherwise I wouldn’t go into a shop at all, especially one on Oxford street.

Also Oxford st is horrid. Londoners generally try to avoid shopping there.

I used to work off Oxford Street and agree the last thing it needs is more cars. It's not just Oxford Street itself but driving in the centre is incredibly slow anyway.
Pedestrianised and with a decent tram and it would be way more user friendly.

Only someone who doesn’t live in London would suggest this. It takes absolutely ages to get into central London by car. Even from one side of zone one to the other. Nobody would opt to drive into Oxford street.

As a disabled person, you can already drive into central London and park easily. The rest of us would chose the quicker and cheaper option of using the tube.

@Ginmonkeyagain yep !
I think there's another one further along the top of the park in the direction of Lancaster Gate. Then you just get a bus (or the
Central Line) to Oxford St.

@Needmorelego snap!

There are 4 tube stations on Oxford st, numerous bus routes, and hundreds of bike rentals, how are cars going to save anything other than cause traffic jams and pollute?

There is parking near Oxford St. HTH

https://www.q-park.co.uk/en-gb/cities/london/park-lane/

@mumofoneAlonebutokay there a car park under Hyde Park isn't there? 5 minutes walk or so from Oxford St (Marble Arch end).
Park there and get one of the buses 🤔

I really like the Pedestrian idea.

@mumofoneAlonebutokay drive from where though? What's your starting point?
I know a lot of non londoners who drive to the end stations of tube lines, park there and then tube in (for example Hillingdon is popular for that).

For people with disabilities, driving vs not driving is a different discussion. For anyone else, if you want to drive into the centre of London it should be made as difficult and expensive as possible. It makes the streets dangerous and dirty for everyone - Wardour St is unbearable these days with traffic heading to Oxford St.

God this reminds me of Mike Read's article when he decided not to run for London Mayor and back Boris. All parking underground . That was nearly 20 years ago now but remains one of the unintentionally funniest things I've ever read. https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2007/jul/17/imbackingboris

Oxford street should be be pedestrianised, most people in london don't own a car. Driving in central london is a bonkers idea if you don't need to. Obviously there should be exemptions

I don't think it's parking that's the issue, I live near the metrocentre in the north east. Huge amounts of free parking but the shopping is rubbish. Old Arcadia units still empty, lots of smaller units that used to be independent traders, all empty. The focus seems to be on entertainment: cinema, bowling, arcade, mini golf, escape room, clip n climb, and tons of restaurants.

The Internet has decimated retail

Underground parking? Near Oxford St? There's bugger all space underground in London! There's about 4 or so tube stops down it already - why on earth would people WANT to drive in London? I don't think I've driven into the centre since 1994 and that was only because I was delivering something for work. And why would you catch a bus when you could go on the tube unless you were broke?

Or are you thinking of making it more polluted and cashing in on the extra ULEZ and congestion charge fees?

When I lived in London I didn't know one person who owned a car.
I've long thought of a plan similar to @Needmorelego - pedestrianise as much as possible, with free hop-on-hop-off tramways and cyclepaths the length of the street.