Lefties and Centrists of London - would you consider voting against the current mayor in the next election?

[hotmumshit]

Cant get a bus down Oxford Street
Crime hasn't gone anywhere, only the phone bike thieves due to international outcry
Housing still a mess

I am a lifelong leftie, but I am not voting the current mayor in again.

'Crime' gone down? I guess as usual Labour don't notice women, or care about them.

Violence and sexual offences are the most commonly recorded crime type in London, accounting for 283,104 offences a year approx. This equates to 29.3 per 1000 at-risk population.

The rate has risen by 8.48% over the last 3 years. This category includes assault, Grievous Bodily Harm and sexual offences.

So no, violence and sex crimes have not gone down. They have risen by 8.48% in the last 3 years.

Why is cycling relevant? Genuinely curious. You know they.are allowed on the half mile of Oxford Street that's been pedestrianised

VAWG is a societal problem, not a Sadiq problem.

Do you think the ‘we even don’t know what a woman is’ Greens or unashamedly misogynistic Reform would do any better?

And as for the Tories…Boris ‘Shagger’ Johnson wasn’t exactly a friend to women , was he?

The number of people who cannot cycle or walk but also refuse to use a wheelchair must be tiny. I suspect the changes will benefit many more people than fit into your tiny category

We can walk. We cannot walk for long distances. We do not refuse to use a wheelchair, we live in the city and make use of its usual accessibility.

There are a lot of people who fit into this category.

What so you got a bus to each and every shop you wanted to go?

There will be seating in the newly pedestrian area.

Bond st tube is 5 min walk as are bus stops

We'd plan in advance to limit places where we cannot sit down when needed, which are easily accessible by the bus stops. If a shop required too much walking, it would be skipped.

Not that the ins and outs of someone's struggles should be explained to you on demand

It’s half a mile that’s been pedestrianised. There are benches along the way. I think you’re overstating your case here. Or maybe consider a mobility scooter?

I think you may have needed to explain your particular issues at the time of the public consultation? It seems your needs are particularly niche but possibly there could be some solution you have not considered?

On top of which

1. Phone theft has surged. The Met Police reported around 80,000 stolen phones in 2024, a 25% jump from 64,000 in 2023.
2. Shoplifting is rising fast. ONS data for the 12 months to December 2024 showed shoplifting up 54% year-on-year, the highest level since modern records began in 2003.

Recorded crime having risen is not necessarily a bad thing with so-called hidden crime, where people often don’t report. This is why the Crime Survey of England and Wales is often taken as a more accurate measure of crime, as it includes those not reported.

I think Ox street very central might stay pedestrianised now, but reduced in scope / size.

Being of limited mobility is not niche

It happens to lots of people. People who've had surgery, people who are getting older

Please keep your ableism away from me

Oxford St is a hotspot for those swarms of balaclava’d up kids on electric bikes snatching phones.

I read about a single group of teenagers who swiped 60 phones on one afternoon last year! Maybe the traffic ban will deter them…? Hope so.

I like SK and have always voted for him in previous elections, but I don't like his recent stance in favour of building on London's green belt. So I think it is fairly unlikely I will vote for him this time

Does this mean that the OP could get a bus along a different street to Oxford St in order to get to the shops she fears she’ll be excluded from?

On the contrary, I think it sets them free. Apparently ebikes are causing chaos now (read today).

You're being somewhat pissy to people who are simply trying to understand your concerns OP. It's almost like you've started a false flag operation here and it hasn't gone quite to plan.

Yes

I don’t think anyone has been unsympathetic to disabled people on this thread. It’s just hard to understand exactly what the issue is?

I think there is a huge amount more the Mayor, councils and businesses could and should do to make London a more accessible city. But this particular issue doesn’t seem to be the most pressing.

@AlertCat

Buses still run across Oxford St on Piccadilly, and from Oxford Curcus down the stretch of road to Tottenham Court Road.

Side streets (e.g. Duke Street, with an entrance to Selfridges) have not been pedestrianised.

So…yes, it would seem so.

@hotmumshit I hear you.

As an ex Londoner, I’ve seen a few of these proposals about pedestrianisation of Oxford Street. I think I objected in the first one and then I didn’t bother because I never went, unless I was stuck going for work.

Anyway, I always thought it would be a disaster because I thought the bikes would get through. And they certainly have. I have no idea how they’re going to manage that issue.

I also thought it was really problematic for buses not to go. Buses are often much better if you’ve got limited mobility and/or disability. I don’t really understand why people don’t understand that.

i’m old enough to remember Oxford Street was quite nice!

Sir Sadiq Khan has done an amazing job for London - and long may he continue to do so. He will have my vote, again (and again).

I used to suffer terribly with asthma and allergic rhinitis: now my nose is clear and I rarely need my asthma puffer. All thanks to the ULEZ.

I have no idea why people are making such a fuss about the pedestrianised Oxford Street - it's a half mile section, takes 15 minutes to walk it (without shuffling through crowds as there's more space), and the buses and taxis are rerouted just one street back - so very little impact on accessibility.

The 20 mph saves lives. How can you argue against that?

IMO, only racists dislike him.