Spending on Oxford Street rose by 28 per cent in the opening week of its new traffic-free section, figures published by City Hall and the Oxford Street Development Corporation show, as critics questioned the impact on bus journeys and the choice of comparison period.
The stretch between Orchard Street and Great Portland Street closed to vehicles on 26 October 2026. Visitor numbers in the pedestrianised section rose by 16 per cent against the equivalent October 2025 half-term week, while payments company Adyen recorded spending increasing from about £2.9m to £3.7m.
Sadiq Khan described the results as ‘staggering’ and ‘better than we had anticipated’. Transport for London said its early monitoring had found no significant overall change in traffic speeds on surrounding roads.
The Marylebone Association challenged that presentation, saying revised TfL timetables add seven to nine minutes to journeys on route 98, an increase of up to 53 per cent. It also questioned why only the half-term week had been published.
More visitors and spending
The opening figures show increases across several measures of activity. International visitor numbers rose by 42 per cent, while evening visits, measured beyond 6pm, were up by 19 per cent. Across the wider street, the daily visitor average was 292,835.
Those measures cover different aspects of the shopping area. The 16 per cent rise relates to footfall within the traffic-free stretch, rather than the whole street. The daily average describes the wider area and should not be read as a count solely of people using the pedestrianised section.
Adyen’s figures show that the spending increase involved both more purchases and a higher average amount paid. The number of in-store purchases rose by 19 per cent, while average spending per purchase increased from £100 to £107.
The distinction matters when assessing the opening week. More visits indicate greater activity, but spending gives a separate measure of trade. Neither measure, on its own, establishes how the change will perform over a longer period or how much of the increase resulted from removing vehicles.
The comparison with the equivalent half-term week provides a year-on-year benchmark for a busy shopping period. It remains an opening-week snapshot, however, rather than evidence of a sustained change through the Christmas trading season.
Bus journeys questioned
The transport dispute centres on measures that are not directly interchangeable. TfL’s statement concerns overall traffic speeds on surrounding roads. The Marylebone Association’s challenge concerns the time allowed in revised timetables for a particular bus route.
An overall assessment of road speeds does not, by itself, explain the scheduled duration of route 98 journeys. Equally, the association’s timetable comparison is not a measurement of every bus journey actually made during the opening week.
For people using buses around Oxford Street, that distinction is practical rather than technical. The association says the new schedules allow seven to nine additional minutes. Its challenge leaves open how those scheduled changes compare with journey times experienced by passengers.
The question about publishing only the half-term week also concerns the scope of the evidence. The figures show what happened during the period selected for publication, but do not establish whether the same pattern holds during other weeks.
A longer-term test
Oxford Street is a major London shopping destination, and its pedestrianisation is a test of the Mayor’s approach to high-street regeneration. The opening results give City Hall positive evidence on visitor activity and spending, alongside unresolved questions about local transport.
The scheme is expected to cost £150m, funded through borrowing. That makes its longer-term performance important beyond the immediate experience of walking, shopping or travelling around the newly traffic-free section.
The next test is whether the early increases continue through Christmas and whether the effect on surrounding bus users becomes clearer. Those questions will help shape decisions on the rest of the scheme, which cannot be settled by the opening week alone.
