But they are much more reluctant to see more pedestrian-only streets in their own local area
Last month saw Sadiq Khan resurrect plans to pedestrianise Oxford Street between Marble Arch and Oxford Circus, having been blocked in his attempts in 2018 by the then-Conservative council. The Tories remain opposed to the Labour mayor’s actions, reportedly saying that the plan will be unpopular and that Khan is “forcing things through”.
However, a new YouGov survey shows that 63% of Londoners support pedestrianising Oxford Street, including 33% who “strongly” support doing so. Only a quarter are opposed (23%), with just 11% strongly opposed. Our question asked about the prospect of making Oxford Street a pedestrian-only street in general, rather than the mayor’s specific proposals.
Slightly more than half of Londoners say they have been to Oxford Street in the previous 12 months; of this group, 72% support pedestrianising the area, as do 53% of those who have not visited recently.
The popularity of pedestrianising Oxford Street does not necessarily translate more widely, however. Asked about making more streets pedestrian-only across Greater London in general, a smaller rate of 48% of residents say they would like to see more streets converted, although this still outnumbers the 34% who would be opposed.
However, when asked about “your local area specifically” support drops to just 37%, with 49% now opposed – although inner Londoners are divided, with 45% supportive but 42% against.
Outer Londoners are greater opponents of pedestrianisation than those living closer to the centre, being about 10pts more likely to say they don’t want to see more walking-only streets either in their local area or across the capital more broadly.
Mundane as the issue might appear, Londoners divide on pedestrianisation by politics, with those backing left-wing parties in 2024 more in favour than those who opted for the right. While 72% of Labour voters and 66% of Lib Dem voters support pedestrianising Oxford Street, this falls to 45% of Tories, and just 31% of Reform UK voters.
That said, even those who opted for Labour or the Lib Dems in 2024 tend to oppose greater pedestrianisation in their own local areas, albeit by smaller margins than Conservative and Reform backers.
What do you think about pedestrianising Oxford Street, greater pedestrianisation in urban areas in general, and everything else? Have your say, join the YouGov panel, and get paid to share your thoughts. Sign up here.
Photo: Getty
