It has been reported that Sadiq Khan, the London Mayor would like to see London’s famous Oxford Street be pedestrian-only by 2020 to tackle traffic and air pollution, this includes buses and taxis.

The measure is reported to go from Tottenham Court road through to Marble Arch and will coincide with the opening of the Crossrail line.

Welcoming the news, the New West End Company, which manages shopping districts in the West End such as Bond, Regent and Oxford Street, commented that the mayor’s office should try and reduce traffic rather than just re-route it.

Jace Tyrrell, NWEC chief executive, said: “We continue to welcome the high importance that the mayor is placing on traffic reduction on Oxford St to help secure the success of the West End and drive improvements in air quality.
“We have been campaigning for reduced traffic in the West End for many years including ongoing discussions with the mayor’s office, Transport for London and Westminster City Council through the West End Partnership.
"We look forward to seeing and discussing detailed proposals for Oxford St following Ms Shawcross’s statements but feel very strongly that any form of vehicle free zones must lead to a genuine reduction of traffic, rather than large scale re-routing down smaller residential or commercial streets.
"In addition, it must be accompanied by a full economic assessments to measure the impact on businesses and the shoppers and workers that travel to the West End every day via public transport."

Both Oxford and Regent streets have often held traffic-free trading days, especially in the lead-up to Christmas.

Having appointed Wasserman, the group hopes the agency will help widen its sponsorship and partnership strategy as well as focus on exclusive experiences for customers.

Tyrrell added: “Crossrail’s arrival in 2018 gives the West End a once in a generation opportunity to fundamentally change the area and invest in its infrastructure and public realm to maintain our pre-eminent position as the world’s top shopping district."